Getting Personal
by Ai-so
Summary: Kaoru gets a call to place an ad and ends up falling in love with him...who can he be? OOC & AU [Chapter 13 up!]
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:**  None of the Rurouni Kenshin's characters belong to me. (No matter how much I may want them to ^-^)

**Author's Note:  **I decided to post this fic once again after some cajoling by my friend.  But I did decide to change just a few things here and there.  Hope you guys like it. ^-^

Kamiya Kaoru sang lustily as she tore a brush through her black hair. How could hair always manage to get itself into such tangles overnight? she wondered. It wasn't like she tossed and turned in her sleep.

The tangles gave way to a final tug, and Kaoru shook out her hair, the way a dog shakes itself off after coming out of the water. Drops of water spattered the mirror. She wiped them off with her towel, and then gave herself a reassuring smile as she turned on the blow dryer.

Not a bad-looking face she thought - cute little chin, long lashes.  If only she was a little bit less pale. They made her look so dead.

Were her complexion the reason she couldn't get any Tokyo guy interested in her? She knew she wasn't any worse-looking than girls she passed in the street or saw in the bars and clubs.

Yet men seemed to look through her as if she wasn't there. It made her almost wish that she was safely back home where everyone called out her name as she drove past....  No, she decided, hanging her head down to blow dry the underside of her hair. I will not start feeling sorry for myself. Good things are about to happen to Kamiya Kaoru, I just know it!

She continued singing loudly, over the hum of the hair dryer.

She finished drying her hair so that it cascaded over her shoulders. Then she put on the long tan denim skirt and green turtleneck that seemed to have become her fall uniform for work. The trouble with coming from a farming community was that none of her clothes were fashionable in the big city, she thought. Kaoru felt like a total hick when she walked along Abiko Street in her jeans and plaid shirts. Since her job only paid enough to cover the rent, food, and a very occasional outing, building a new wardrobe had been a slow process. It had been slowed even more because Kaoru was not yet sure what kind of look she was going for.

She watched those frightening career women sweep into the Tokyo Tribune office in their long black boots and wondered if she would ever look like that. She has seen the students at the Art Institute of Tokyo and admired their ponchos, caftans and torn jeans, but she couldn't ever see herself having enough flair and confidence to wear something unique like that. Misao wore really interesting clothes, she decided. She wore exactly what she wanted, whether it was bright colors or checks or whatever, and she always looked good. She always seemed to know exactly what style was in. Misao had been wearing a velvet hat for a couple of months, yet Kaoru has just seen the first velvet hats appear in the department stores only a few days ago.

And Megumi has flair, Kaoru thought. Megumi always looked good. Not trendy, like Misao - you'd never catch Megumi wearing a velvet hat with jeans - but she'd wear classic black pants that cost a hundred dollars with a real silk shirt and a strand of pearls. Of course Megumi worked at her flawless appearance. She always pressed creases into her pants and spent at least half an hour putting on her make-up in the morning - which resulted in her roommates pounding in vain on the bathroom door.

"I'd better get a move on," Kaoru told herself. Of all the roommates, she was always the quickest in the bathroom. She had tried hard to be the least trouble when she moved in, knowing that she had the smallest room and was paying the lowest rent. She grabbed her robe and slippers and came out into the cold hallway.

The delicious smell of baking mingled with the smell of fresh pot of tea. Kaoru almost ran down the hall.

"Something smells great," she said, as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Misao was standing at the sink, dressed in purple stretched pants and a black tie-dyed shirt, washing a mixing bowl. "It's cookies," she said. "I got the urge to make cookies so I got up early."

"I thought you swore last night that you were going to stick to the grapefruit diet," Kaoru observed.

"I did." Misao said, calmly rinsing out the bowl.

"But cookies contain a zillion calories. Or are they special grapefruit cookies?"

"I wish," Misao said with a sigh. "If anyone ever invented diet cookies with the same number of calories as a grapefruit, I'd be their sale for life. If it was a man, I'd marry him."

"You'd marry Aoshi if he asked you, whether he'd invented anything or not," Megumi drawled from the doorway. She stood, draped against the doorframe, looking sleepy but elegant in her paisley silk robe, her long, silky black hair draped over her shoulder.

"True enough," Misao retorted. "Still, I'm not desperate."

"So what are you making those cookies for?" Megumi asked.

"Well, yes, the cookies," Misao said, a little frustrated. "I couldn't help but think about poor Yahiko. Living across the hall, never eating. And that tiny Tsubane probably never feeds him a thing.

"Good Lord, Misao," Megumi said. "For one thing, now that you're with Aoshi, you shouldn't be doing anything for Yahiko. For another, your roommates could starve, and you wouldn't even care. Fork 'em over - now!"

Misao laughed and pulled the cookies out of the oven. "Did you really think these are for Yahiko? Here, dig in."

Megumi gingerly began to devour the hot cookies.

"Gee, Misao," Kaoru began, "ever since you met Aoshi, we get to eat a whole lot better around here."

"I think Aoshi's just happy 'cause he gets to eat, too. What do you do, leave a trail of crumbs from the front door to your bed?"

"Please. Not in front of Kaoru. She's led a sheltered life."

"I have not," Kaoru insisted. "I know about life too, you know. And I've had my share of m-e-n."

"Oh, yeah, Kaoru, sure," Megumi said. "You must have been the femme fatale of Atami."

Kaoru tossed back her hair and pretended to laugh along with the other two. "You might just be surprised one day," she said.

Megumi looked immediately interested. "Oh, so there's a guy you've been meeting secretly these past few evenings? We've been wondering why you never seem to be in for dinner these days. Haven't we, Misao?"

"Actually, we've been pretty worried about you. We don't like you walking home alone late at night," Misao said. "Have you really been meeting a guy?"

Kaoru was furious at herself for blushing. "Nothing like that," she said. "I told you, I've had to work late at the newspaper. We've been swamped with ads."

"Must be mating season," Megumi said with a wink to Misao. "You and I might try one of those personal ads one day, don't you think, Misao? Kaoru can let us know if anyone calls with a really sexy voice, or places an ad to say he drives a Porsche and is looking for a woman to go to Paris with him."

"Megumi," Kaoru said, horrified, "I couldn't do that. We have to respect the privacy of our callers. Besides, you two have boyfriends."

"And I wouldn't want to mess with anyone who put an ad in a paper like Tokyo Now," Misao said, coming to join the others at the table. She perched on the kitchen stool.

"Oh they're not all that bad," Kaoru said. "In fact, some of them sound really nice. I bet they're just lonely people trying to find someone special - like the rest of us.

"We worry about you sometimes," Misao said. "I don't think it's sunk in that you're in the big city now. Not everybody is honest, friendly and trustworthy. So don't get any ideas about answering any of those ads yourself. Talk it over with your wiser roommates, okay?"

"Don't worry!" Kaoru said. "I'd be fired if I got involved with any of our clients." She popped another cookie out of the pan.

"Good Lord, I spent my whole life watching what I eat, and you stuff your faces with doughnuts, cookies and everything fattening under the sun, and you never gain a pound!" Misao said huffily.

"I suppose it was all the fresh air as a kid," Kaoru said. "Everyone in Atami ate hearty."

"And got up at the crack of dawn, too," Megumi teased. "And sang at the top of their lungs in the bathroom."

Kaoru laughed. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Me and the whole neighborhood."

"Oh, God, I didn't think. I'm so used to getting up early."

"And leaping up to milk the chickens," Megumi finished for her.

"We didn't have chickens to milk," Kaoru said. "But the neighbors had the loudest rooster and he always crowed at 4:00 a.m. sharp. Anyway, I have to get out of here or I'll be late." Kaoru sucked down her tea and grabbed her coat.

"Do you think you'll be working late?" Megumi asked.

"I...er…might," Kaoru said, "I don't know yet."

"Ah-ha!" Megumi said with a triumphant grin to Misao. "I think we might have to spy on her and see if anything juicy is going on."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kaoru said. "I don't every spy on you two."

"Ah, but we have to keep an eye on you."

"I keep telling you that I'm able to take care of myself. Just because I look young doesn't mean I'm a total idiot. You should have seen me wrestling Shishio Makoto in his truck after the town picnic. He had other things than square dancing on his mind! I set him straight, and he couldn't stand up straight for a week."

They all laughed. "Okay," Misao said, "we believe you. But we worry - some guys aren't as easy to shake off as ole Shishio."

"Well, don't worry about me," Kaoru replied. "But do wish me luck."

"What for?" Misao asked.

Kaoru shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like I need luck today."

Kaoru left her roommates looking at each other questioningly as she went down the hall to get her purse and jacket. Maybe I'm being stupid not to tell them, she thought as she slipped her arms through the sleeves. After all, they always share all the secrets of their love life with me.... But when she thought about telling them, she knew that she couldn't. Not just yet anyway. They would definitely laugh or tell her she was naïve for falling in love with a man she didn't even know and had never met.

TBC

**Author's Note:  **So what do you think guys?  Did I make the right decision in listening to my friends?  Can't wait to hear what you guys think.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer:  **Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me.

**Author's Note:  **Here is the second chapter.  Hope you guys like it. ^-^

**Glossary:**

oneechan:  _big sister_

obasan:  _grandmother_

minna:  _everyone_

There was a chilly wind off the lake, and it met Kaoru full in the face as she started to walk the eight blocks to work. She knew her roommates thought she was nuts to walk.  They teased her that she was used to walking ten miles to school and back, barefoot and in the snow.  But she liked to walk, always had.

            And she saved money that way.

            Tokyo Now was a small, struggling alternative newspaper.  Published once a week, it was given away for free and, as a result, it couldn't afford to pay its staff a big salary.  Kaoru's was an insulting wage, really.  She knew that she could make as much at McDonalds and would probably soon rise to supervisor there.  But McDonalds wasn't where she wanted to be.

            Ever since she had worked on the Atami High School Reviews, Kaoru knew that she wanted to be a reporter.  She could picture herself, storming the mayor's office and confronting him about a scandal that would blow the city apart.  She knew that she had a long way to go before this happened.  She was naturally shy, and that would be a big obstacle to overcome.  But she was quick and bright, and she certainly had an overdeveloped imagination.  Her parents had always warned her that her imagination would get her into trouble one day, but Kaoru knew it was her ticket to success.

            Taking personal ads was the first step on her road to the top.  When she had saved enough money, she planned to enroll in journalism school.  She also hoped she might one day get a chance to demonstrate her reporting ability to the editor of Tokyo Now ---- a quiet and calm man named Seta Soujiro.

            In her wilder dreams Kaoru imagined that maybe a wanted criminal would place a personal ad.  She'd be smart enough to sense that something was wrong.  She'd alert the police and the criminal would be caught, red-handed.

            "Thanks to the quick thinking of this young lady here, the city is now a safer place," the police would say, and maybe give her a medal.  Soujiro would love the publicity it gave his paper and maybe give her a reporting job.

            Kaoru was amazed by the clues she could pick up from personal ads.  She believed she could sense a person's whole personality from the way he or she phrased an ad…or from his or her name.

            Take for example a name like Himura Kenshin.  That was the most intriguing name she had ever heard. What sort of person was called Himura Kenshin?  A movie star, an artist…certainly not someone who worked for a bank or a supermarket.

            Besides, his voice didn't make him sound as if he were ordinary.  It had been a wonderful voice ---- a deep, gravely, haunting, sexy voice that had made her heart beat faster even before he gave his name or told Kaoru the wording of his ad.

            She heard the voice now again, echoing through her head.  "The name's Kenshin. Himura Kenshin. Have you got that?"

            Kaoru trembled again at the effect those simple words had on her.  Was it possible to conjure up a person in your mind, just from the sound of his voice?  She had him pictured perfectly by now ---- well dressed, but not too conservative and he'd have arresting blue eyes that would make you melt when he looked at her.

            Kaoru started at the sound of a horn and leapt back onto the sidewalk as a taxi took the corner at high speed, missing her by inches. That was the problem with daydreaming ---- once she started fantasizing, she was completely lost to the real world.

            "Get your act together, Kamiya Kaoru," she told herself severely, "and forget about Himura Kenshin.  You aren't going to meet him, so that's that.  And even if you did meet him, you know that he wouldn't be interested in you.  So concentrate on the important things, like getting to the office on time and in one piece!"

            She was breathless and her cheeks were stinging from the cold wind by the time she reached the newspaper.  Her hands were cold, too, and she wondered how much longer she could go on walking to work. If snow came early this year, as predicted, she'd have to give up and take the bus. Then she'd have no more chance to save money till spring.

            "Well, don't you look the picture of health," Yumi greeted her as Kaoru stepped into the cubicle they shared.

            "These rosy cheeks are totally numb with cold," Kaoru said.  "The wind was bitter out there today.  I don't know how much longer I can keep walking to work."

            "All winter, as long as you don't mind frostbite," Yumi said.  "You want me to get you a cup of coffee?  I was on my way to the boss' office and I planned to sneak myself a cup as I passed."

            "I'd love one, thanks," Kaoru said.

            "Just take any calls if any come in," Yumi said.

            "Don't worry," Kaoru said.  "The sorts of people who place our ads don't get up before ten o'clock."

            "Unless some of them haven't been to bed all night," Yumi said, chuckling.  "I'll be right back."

            Kaoru watched her fondly as she walked elegantly away.  Everything about Yumi was elegant, from her smooth voice, to the way she draped her long, silk scarf around her head when she went out.  Kaoru was glad that she and Yumi shared a cubicle.

            From the very beginning she had made the big city and the new job less frightening.

            Yumi was a tall dark haired woman in her late twenties, supporting her little sister alone.  She had once been a nightclub singer but now she needed a day job while her sister's in school.  Kaoru had been a little intimidated by Yumi at first.  But after a few days she found that Yumi and her shared the same sense of humor, and that Yumi was rapidly becoming more like an oneechan to her.

            "Here, drink that while it's hot," Yumi said, returning with a large, steaming mug.  ""And don't go near Soujiro today if can help it.  He must have had a disappointing night last night because he is in the mother of bad moods.  I asked him if I could leave early on Thursday to go to my little sister's school concert and he said sure, if I wanted to look for another job while I was out."

            "Yumi, that's ridiculous," Kaoru exclaimed.  ""I could handle your work for one afternoon, and it's important to your sister that you go to her concert."

            "I know," Yumi said, "but Soujiro doesn't feel the same way.  I suppose it's because the accountant was by yesterday and the figures were worse than ever.  We're losing money no matter what we do."

            "I don't see how that's our fault," Kaoru said.  "We just take down ads when we have a caller."

            "Maybe the whole of greater Tokyo is already paired up except us," Yumi said.  "Which reminds me.  You didn't go to that place again last night, did you?"

            "What place?" Kaoru asked innocently?"

            "You know very well what place ---- Razzles."

            Kaoru looked away as she nodded yes.

            "Kaoru!" Yumi exclaimed.  "And after all those words of wisdom from your onnechan, too.  As my obasan used to say, 'You'll be the death of me child!'"

            Kaoru had to smile.  "It's okay, Yumi," she said.  "Nothing has happened.  He hasn't even shown up yet."

            "And how do you know that?"

            "Because I'd know him if I saw him."

            "How would you know?  He didn't give you a description, did he?"

            Kaoru grinned nervously.  "No, he didn't give me a description.  I just ---- know what he must look like from the sound of his voice."

            "He might be forty-five, fat and balding."

            Kaoru shook her head.  "Oh, no.  He had a young, sexy voice.  He was thirty at the oldest."

            "Do you know how many radio announcers have young, sexy voices and are really old and bald?"  Yumi asked.  "A voice is nothing to go on.  I bet he's come and gone and you never even noticed."

            "I'm sure he hasn't been in once," Kaoru said firmly.  "I've been watching all week and I haven't seen one romantic reunion or one fight, and I haven't heard the names Tomoe or Kenshin once, so that proves it, doesn't it?"

            Yumi thought about this.  "Well, I suppose the paper just came out, so there wouldn't have been much point in his going to Razzles before that.  Unless he was a regular."

            "I'm telling you," Kaoru said.  "He wasn't there.  I'd have a sensed it if he came in."

            "Child, you are a hopeless romantic," Yumi said, "and I'm scared you're going to get hurt."

            "You really don't have to worry, Yumi."

            "But I do worry, honey," Yumi.  "Did it ever occur to you to wonder why this Kenshin person's girlfriend ran out on him?  Perhaps she wanted to escape from an abusive relationship.  Perhaps he was kinky or paranoid or violent, and she couldn't wait to get away from him."

            Kaoru didn't answer.  She was studying her computer keyboard and thinking privately that Kenshin was none of those terrible things.

            "You're not thinking of going back tonight, are you?"

            Kaoru didn't raise her eyes.  "I have to.  Just once more," she said.

            "And where's it going to get you?  That's what I'd like to know."

            Kaoru shrugged.  "I guess I just want to see him get back with Tomoe and live happily ever after."

            "No, you don't," Yumi said firmly.  "You want him to wait in vain for Tomoe, so that you can have him for yourself.  You've fallen in love with a person you've created in your own mind, Kaoru."

            "No, I haven't," Kaoru said a bit too hastily.  "I'm just curious, that's all.  It's all part of my reporter's training.  Don't you think it would make a great story?  I'd call it, 'Reunited in Razzles.'"

            "Huh," Yumi said again.  The phone rang and Mary picked it up.  "Yes, sir, would mind spelling that?  With an F, I see.  Now, let me read that back to you."

            While she was working, Kaoru took the column she had cut from the last edition of Tokyo Now out of her purse and gazed at the ad she had highlighted in neon pink.  She didn't need to look at it, because it was indelibly printed in her memory.  Tomoe ---- please contact H. Kenshin.  I miss you and need to see you.  I'll wait for you at Razzles every night at 8:00.  Please come, Tomoe.  Please...Box 1234.

            Kaoru sighed and stuffed the column back into her purse.  The trouble was that Yumi was right.  She had fallen in love with the mysterious Himura Kenshin.

TBC

**Author's Note:  **Well, that's the second chapter.  For those of you who haven't read this before, what do you think of it?  For those that have already read this, I fixed some of the grammar and spelling mistake.  If I missed anything, don't hesitate to tell me.  Looking forward to hearing what you think minna!

I'll try to put up a chapter a week.  Give or take a day or two.  ^-^


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:  **Standard disclaimer applies.  (Sorry I was just to lazy to make up something creative ^-^)

**Author's Note:**  I know this took more than the week that I promised you guys.  I've been pretty busy and school and work and all.  Gomen!  *bows*

Hope this is worth the wait! ^o^

Around seven-thirty, Kaoru left her desk at Tokyo Now and headed out.  She had hung around on the pretext of catching up in some billing, which further angered her already-cranky boss.

            "You should have gotten through that stuff during the day.  Electricity doesn't grow on trees, you know," Soujiro barked.

            "I'm sorry," Kaoru muttered.  "I couldn't help it.  The phone didn't stop ringing all afternoon."

            Soujiro brightened up at this.  "So, we took in quite a bit of business today, did we?

            "Quite a bit," Kaoru said.  "Although some of the calls were queries and some cranks."

            "Well, don't hang around too long," Soujiro said.  Then he added in a kinder voice, "this isn't the kind of neighborhood I'd want you walking around late at night."

            So even Soujiro has a heart when it comes to protecting me, Kaoru thought in amazement.  Why did the whole of Tokyo want to protect her?  Did she look so completely naïve and straight from Hicksville?  She wondered.  She would definitely have to work on her image.

            Tonight had to be the night. Kaoru felt sure he would show up and she'd be able to see whether her picture of him was accurate.  What if Yumi had been right and he really was bald and fort?  Oh, no, Kenshin, she muttered to herself, you can't be old and ugly.  I won't believe it.  I know exactly how you're going to look when I see you…

            She let herself slip back into a wonderful fantasy:  she'd be sitting in the shadows of Razzles by the door when he came in.  He would look around, eagerly scanning each face until disappointment would register across his rugged features.  She'd recognize him instantly.  He'd sit at a small side table and order a white wine.  He would wait for a half hour or more, his shoulders slumped dejectedly as he realized Tomoe wasn't coming.  And then…

            Kaoru broke off from the daydreaming.  What exactly did she intend to do, anyway?  She knew that any invasion of a customer's privacy would instantly cost her her job.

            But she didn't really have any intention of talking to him, did she?  All she wanted to do was see him get back together with Tomoe.  If they did, she could go home happy.

            "Then why'd you copy down his address, and why do you keep walking past his building?" she asked herself.

            It was a cold night, and she gave in and spent the money for the bus.  Kaoru's heart was hammering when she got off the bus, making her way past the comedy clubs and little theatres.

            This was why she'd left her small town.  It was what a city should be like: taxis, people, and music everywhere.  It felt good to be part of it, to be living ---- for the moment ---- the life she'd dreamed of when she'd left home.

            Tonight, Razzles was packed.  With music this loud, she wasn't going to hear a thing.  Kenshin and Tomoe would have to yell to each other before she'd be aware of them.  Which meant she'd just have to keep a very close watch.

            Cautiously, Kaoru looked around.  It was dark, and smoky.  The executives in their suits mingled with more creative types.  Their lives all seemed so full of fun, and Kaoru's was boring, boring, boring.

            Through the crowd Kaoru caught a glimpse of Yahiko at the bar and she shrank back into the shadows, hopping he hadn't spotted her.  Why did he have to work every night? she wondered.  She definitely didn't want him to see her here.  If he saw her, he'd probably mention it to Misao and Megumi, and they'd want to know why she'd started hanging out at a trendy bar.  They'd probably think she was trying to pick up guys.  At the very least they'd tease her about it and she might be forced to tell them her real reason.

            I don't care what anyone thinks, she told herself.  This is the one exciting and risky thing that I've done since moving to Tokyo, and I'm going to go through with it.

            She took up her position exactly where she had stood on previous nights, close to the entrance beside the pay phone, with a good view of the stairs leading to the restaurant, just in case Kenshin went up there.  There was a large potted plant on either side of the doorway and Kaoru stood half concealed by the spiky fronds.

            Now that she was invisible behind the plant, she had time to examine each of the guys in the room.  There were plenty of young guys, but the way they stood and chatted, relaxed and laughing, convinced her that none of them was Kenshin. Nobody in the room seemed to be acting the way she was sure Kenshin would act ---- gulping nervously at a drink and not taking his eyes off the doorway for a second.

            "Can I get you something?"

            The voice right behind Kaoru made her jump.  A waitress stood behind her, balancing a tray in one hand.

            Obviously Kaoru couldn't stand in the bar area and drink nothing for very long.  "It's okay," she mumbled.  "I'm waiting for someone.  I think I'll wait to order until he gets here."

            "Fine," the waitress said.  "I'll check on you in a while."

            Kaoru continued to stand, glancing at her watch as if she were annoyed that someone she was meeting had stood her up.  She figured this would be a good move to ward off strange men, and it made her feel less stupid.

            The band finished a set and took a break.

            As she glanced at her watch for the hundredth time, she saw that it was now almost eight-thirty.  Another wasted evening, Kaoru thought.  She was pulling back her jacket sleeve over the watch then someone pushed past her, almost knocking her into the plant pot.  He picked up the phone and punched in the numbers savagely.  He was obviously using a calling card because she saw him wait, and then punch in a lot more numbers.

            He was drumming his fingers against the phone book for a long time before he said, in an impatient voice, "Hi, it's me, Kenshin.  No...she's not here.  Yes, I know it was a long shot, but I've got to try everything, haven't I?"

            Kaoru's heart did such a violent lurch that she was sure half the bar must have heard it.  It was him!  It absolutely had to be.  He'd even identified himself.  All she could see through the palm leaves was the back of a red head.  She moved cautiously to get a better look, careful not to make any sound that he might hear.

            He'd paused as if the person on the other line was saying something.  Then he interrupted that person.  "Look, do you think I'm not worried out of my mind?  I'm doing my best, okay?  I swore I'd find her, and I will!"  He slammed down the phone.

            Kaoru heard him sigh loudly then saw him take out his wallet, look at it for a moment and then slam it shut, stuffing it back into his pocket again.

            She realized she should move away.  She was standing way too close and he'd have to push her to get past her.  She'd never be able to get a real good look at him from such close quarters.  Silently she turned and began to tiptoe away from the plant.

            This was the moment the waitress decided to swoop down on her again.  "Are you ready to order yet?" she asked.

            "Oh, no. Not yet," Kaoru said.

            The waitress glanced over at Kenshin.  "Oh, I thought the person you were waiting for had arrived."

            "No, I'm still waiting," Kaoru said, her back toward Kenshin.

            The waitress heard someone summon her and she melted back into the crowd.  Kaoru began to move to the other side of the doorway.

            "So, you did come!  Don't you dare sneak off again!"

            The voice rang in Kaoru's ears.  Hands on her shoulders spun her around.

            The eyes that blazed down at her were an alarming bright gold.  The guy was scaring her.  She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.  As soon as Kenshin got a good look at her face, he went as pale as she must have been.

            "Oh, shit. I'm sorry," he said.  "I thought you were someone else I was supposed to meet here.  When I saw your back…the way you moved...and your hair, you looked like her and even your voice..." His voice trailed off.

            Kaoru thought he looked cute, and that fate had brought them together.  She was still a little nervous, but she wasn't going to blow her big chance to get involved in something interesting.

            "I look like Tomoe?" she managed to get out.  But as soon as she said the words, she knew she'd made a big, big mistake.

            "You know Tomoe?  Did she send you here to talk to me?"

            "I don't know what you're talking about," Kaoru babbled.

            "Yeah, right.  I noticed you hanging around while I was on the phone.  Then you tried to slip away," he said, his eyes never leaving hers for a second.  "And I didn't mention Tomoe's name once.  Strange that you knew who I was looking for. She must have sent you ---- admit it."

            "No, nobody sent me.  There's some mistake you've got it all wrong," Kaoru pleaded.  "I don't know any Tomoe, I swear it. Please let me go."

            "I don't believe you," he said.  "But you can take a message to her from me.  You can tell her I just want to talk to her."

            "No, please…listen…"  She tried to see if Yahiko was still at the bar.  Would he come to her rescue if she screamed? Did she want to make a spectacle of herself by yelling?  But she had to get away somehow!

            A group of people came in through the door.  Kaoru took the opportunity to wrench herself loose and push past them, dodging among the dinner crowd in the foyer.  She heard him call, "No, wait!  Come back.  You don't understand!"  But she reached the outer door and fled down the street.  At the end of the block she turned into the first doorway and stood hidden, waiting for him to pass her.  But he didn't appear, and after what seemed like an eternity, she crept out and made her way home.

TBC

**Glossary:**

Gomen: _sorry_

**Author's Note:  **Well??  Was it worth the wait?  I know it's a bit short…but what are you going to do.  It's better than nothing right?  I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys!  *twirls* (-o-)


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer:  **Standard disclaimer applies.

**Author's Note:  **Well, here's the next chapter.  Sorry it's a bit late.  Gomen!  *bows repeatedly*

            Kaoru was close to tears by the time she turned her key in the lock of the apartment.  She'd run all the way home and kept expecting to see Kenshin's angry face.

            All of Yumi's warning's echoed in her head.  Thinking back to his behavior, she was ready to believe he could do anything.  He'd been punching the numbers into the phone keypad and slamming his wallet shut.  This is what I get for messing around in someone else's life, Kaoru thought.  He could have done something terrible to me!

            She shivered at the thought.  It was true what her roommates said, that there was no way to judge which guys were trustworthy and which were creeps.  She had nothing to go on but her instincts, and it seemed those weren't so hot, either.

            She was just opening her bedroom door when the latch squeaked and Misao called out, "Kaoru is that you?"

            Kaoru put on her brightest face as she looked around the living room door.  "Oh, hi.  I didn't think that anyone else was home," she said with a bid smile.  Megumi was draped on the sofa in black silk pajamas.  Misao was wrapped in a long poncho.  A big bowl of popcorn was between them.

            "Hi, come on in," Megumi called.  "Misao got invited to a cozy penthouse dinner, but we decided we preferred each other's company tonight."

            When Kaoru looked astounded, the other girls laughed.

            "Our 'men' both have to work late, Misao said, "so we're having a pajama party.  Wanna join?  There's popcorn, and some ravioli's left in the kitchen if you really want t eat."

            "Thanks, but I ate at work," Kaoru said.

            "If you got overtime, you'd be able to buy a BMW by now," Megumi commented.  "I wonder what loser is driving around in my old BMW," she added meditatively.  "Sometimes I get very tired of playing Cinderella.  It's about time me or my Prince Charming gets a nice, new, reliable car!"

            Kaoru could feel her cheeks getting hot.  A few hours earlier she'd thought that Kenshin was some Prince Charming, but he turned out to be a major frog.

            "Come and get this popcorn before Misao hogs it all.  You can't have eaten tat much at work!" Megumi said.

            "Please," Misao countered.  "Who was the one who wanted to drench this in butter?  I want you to know, Kaoru, that I've been taking on kernel at a time, while piggo here has been grabbing fistfuls.

            She hesitated in the doorway, wanting to join the warmth of the living room and yet still overwhelmed by her horrifying experience.  She knew she wouldn't be able to pull off a carefree evening for long.  Sooner or later, one of them would pick up on her tension and want to know what was wrong.

            "Thanks, but I've got an awful headache," she said, putting her hand up to her head.  This was partially true.  There was still a tight band of tension around her forehead, which could well develop into a headache any minute.  "I think I'll just go lie down."

            The two faced immediately registered concern.

            "Kaoru, are you sure you're not working too hard?" Megumi asked.  "It's not healthy to stare at a computer screen for too many hours.  No wonder you keep getting headaches."

            "And not eating properly is not good for a growing girl like you," Misao added.

            "Misao, you make me sound as if I'm eight years old.  And I do eat properly.  It's just that I'm not hungry tonight."

            "I'll make you some tea if you want," Misao said.  She began to get her feet.

            "Thanks, but I really don't want anything," Kaoru said.  "It's very nice of you to pamper me, but I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself."

            "I think everyone needs someone to pamper them when they are down, or when they've been working too hard," Misao said.

            Kaoru shifted from one foot to the other.  The strain of acting normal was getting to her.  The phony laughter on the TV was cutting into her temples.  Out of the corner of her eye she could see Liv Tyler entertaining a tall, dark man in her apartment.  He was trying to come on strong and she as dodging around the sofa, being bright and chirpy. The audience thought it was screamingly funny.  Kaoru didn't.  She knew what it was like to feel overwhelmed by a man.

            "If you don't mind," she said weakly, "I really think I'll go lie down now.  I'll see you guys I the morning."

            "Okay, Kaoru," Misao said.  "Hope you feel better."

            "Me, too," Megumi said, "Oh, and you'll find something to cheer you up in your room.  You got a letter from home.  I put it on your bed."

            Kaoru went into her room.  The white envelope was lying on top of her quilt.  A letter from home.  The casual was that Megumi said it, as if it were no big deal!  Didn't Megumi realize that she hadn't had a letter from home in six months?  Not since she had walked out of the house, telling her parents to stop trying to run her life for her.

            She had written to them once, a brief business-like note, telling them that she was safe, had a job and a room with two respectable young women so they didn't have to worry about her anymore.  She had received no reply and didn't really expect one.  Her parents were both old-fashioned, proud and stubborn.  Especially her otousan.  He would have forbidden her okasan to write, even if she'd wanted to.  She could imagine what he'd been saying, "Give the girl a few months to find out what the big city's really like, and she'll realize we weren't so stupid after all.  She'll come running home with her tail between her legs.  You mark me."

            For the moment, even her ordeal with Kenshin was forgotten.  Kaoru turned the envelope over, looking at her okasan's round, school girlish writing.  So what had made them change their minds and start communication with her again?  It must be bad news, Kaoru thought.  She figured that's the only reason her okasan would write to her.  Maybe otousan's had a heart attack from lifting all the heavy machinery.  Or maybe Obasan died.  She wasn't too well after the flu last winter or maybe, just maybe, they're missing me and they want me to forgive them for the way they behaved, she stopped herself.  Will you stop being a coward and open it?

            Carefully she ripped open the envelope and took out the pink, line notepaper.  It was the sort of notepaper a child will use and it showed how little her okasan ever needed to write letters.  With trembling fingers she opened it.

"Dear Kaoru," her Okasan had written.

We hope that you are well, everything is just fine here.  Your Otosan's business has been looking up lately.  With the recession on, more people are repairing old farm machinery than buying new.  Sometimes I think he works too hard, considering his age.  Your Oneechan sends her love.  So do her kids.  They're both such active noisy little tykes that she has her hand full.  Of course, she loves it and has really blossomed into a lovely young wife and mother.  Motherhood will do that for you, too.  A woman's true place is taking care of her family.  That's what God intended for us women, Kaoru.  It's not natural to want to live alone with a bunch of strangers.

Anyway, your Otosan and I are hoping that you've learned your lesson by now.  We know that you've a stubborn streak in you and wont come home unless we make contact first.  So we're swallowing our pride, in spite of all the terrible things you said to us, and telling you that we want to have you back with us.  We miss you.

Kaoru swallowed hard.  She wanted to admit that she missed them, too, but it didn't seem that they'd come any closer to understand her.  She read on.

I'm sure you've found by now that making a living in the city is not easy of fun.  It's full of untrustworthy and even dangerous people, Kaoru, as I'm sure you've discovered.  Your Otosan and I pray every night that you are preserved from danger and from making the wrong choices.  You aren't equipped to handle those smooth city types.  We just pray you've kept out of danger and temptation.

By the way, you'll never guess who stopped by yesterday ---- that nice Tsunan who was so swept on you in high school.  He's making a real good living now as a representative for a fertilizer company and he gets to travel all over the area.  They give him a car and everything!  He's grown into a fine looking young man.  The sort of man any girl would be proud to have as a husband.  Anyway, he asked about you and he wanted to know when you were coming back home.  He seemed to perk up when I told him it would probably be soon and he even said if you were still interested in this crazy newspaper idea, that he knows the owner of the local newspaper and you could maybe write something for them from time to time, just to keep your hand in.

So how about it Kaoru?  Your folks miss you.  You're boyfriend misses you.  You've had your little fun, and now it's time to settle down.  We hope to have you home by Christmas.

Love, Okasan and Otasan

            Kaoru stared at the letter, then crumpled it up and flung it to the furthest corner.  It was hopeless.  They hadn't changed one bit.  They were still as narrow-minded and stubborn and prejudiced as when she left them.  And they were still pressuring her to marry Tsukioka Tsunan, the world's boring man.  She'd dated him in high school, when she didn't know any better and there wasn't much of a choice.

            It was true he was good-looking, in a farm boy sort of way but so dull Kaoru squirmed again and remembered the way he would recite baseball stats to her for hours.  And if he wasn't talking baseball, he was talking hogs.  His dad had a hog farm and Tsunan had to tell her the weight of every hog sold at market and how much money it had fetched.

            "I'll show them," she thought.  She went across to her chest of drawers and rummaged for a pen and paper.  She'd write back immediately and let them see that she wasn't floundering in the big city.  She was having a great time, working at a really hip newspaper and meeting the most fascinating.  Creative people who never once mentioned hogs or baseball.

            I'll tell them I'm dating...then she stopped short and closed the drawer again.  The letter had made her forget all about Kenshin and what happened tonight.  A creeping doubt entered her mind, suggesting that her parents may be right after all.  She really didn't know how to handle herself.  Just because a guy had sounded wonderful on the phone did not mean that he was a safe, reliable person.

            "But I don't want safe and reliable."  Kaoru sighed, flinging herself back onto the bed and staring up at the pattern of cracks and water stains on the yellowed ceiling.  So what did she want?

            If only things had seen different, she knew she could have fallen for Himura Kenshin in a big way.  He was everything she found attractive in a guy.  Now that the terror had worn off, Kaoru found herself wondering if she should go back and tell him the truth.

            Maybe if she explained, then they could go on from there.  Maybe he'd be in a better mood the next time and he'd be glad to have someone to commiserate with now that Tomoe was probably gone forever…

            "Are you crazy?" she asked herself out loud.  Did she really want to risk getting tied-up with an unpredictable, violent, intimidating person just because he happened to be great-looking and she built up this fantasy about him?

            Better play it safe, Kaoru, a little voice whispered in her head.  Yet another, darker voice reminded her that she had left home because she was sick and tired of playing it safe, that she had dreamed of excitement and adventure ---- and even danger.

            Kaoru began to see things from Kenshin's point of view.  Poor Kenshin, she thought.  He's been left with a false hope.  He really believes I know where Tomoe is.  I bet he's totally depressed tonight, thinking that I had the answers but he let me get away.

            She was becoming more confused by the minute.  Could it do too much harm to go back to Razzles just once more and explain things to him?

TBC

**Glossary:**

gomen:  _sorry_

Otousan:   _Father_

Okasan:  _Mother_

Obasan:  _Grandmother_

Oneechan:  _Big sister_

**Athour's Note:  **So what do you think?  As always, I look forward to reading what you guys think of my little fanfic.  I hope that it's worth the lengthy wait.  (-o-)        


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**Disclaimer:  **The characters mentioned in this fic do not belong to me.

**Author's Note:**  I am so SORRY for the very long wait.  I really appreciate all the support that I've been receiving from everyone.  I didn't expect for me to take this long to update.  Once again I apologize.  GOMEN MINA!

The next morning, Kaoru woke felling better but still not too great.  But she'd come to a major decision:  she'd stop skirting around the edges of life.  She was going to show the world that Kamiya Kaoru could handle anything.  She was going to shed her country-bumpkin image and start acting like a real person.  She was going to meet new people, especially men, and get a real job on a real paper.

Kaoru was startled as there was a clunk, followed by a drumming sound right behind her head.  Someone had turned the shower on.  If it was Megumi, she was doomed.  She could be there for ages, and Kaoru would be late for work.  That's what she got for not getting up early.

She jumped out of bed and began rummaging around her closet for something to wear.  Impatiently, she took out her clothes, one by one, and rejected them with a sigh.  Boring!  She wanted to start right away with her new image, and these frumpy things weren't going to help her any.

She couldn't ask her roommates for things ----- Misao's stuff was too small and Megumi's too good ----- Kaoru was petrified she'd ruin her stuff.

The shower stopped and Kaoru heard the bathroom door click open.  Thank God! Definitely not Megumi.  Kaoru rounded out of her bedroom, to see Misao standing by the kitchen door ----- looking mighty desperate.

"How's the headache?" she asked.

"Oh, it's okay.  How are you?"

"I'm okay.  I dunno ----- sometimes in the morning I need a good dose of jet fuel before I can function.  How I managed to get in and out of the shower just now is beyond me!"

Kaoru smiled.  "I know just how you feel.  Well, I'd better hit the shower before Megumi gets in there.  What does she do once she shuts that door?"

Misao poured herself a cup of tea and sighed.  "Kaoru, there are some things best left unknown."

-------------------------

            It turned out to be a busy morning at work.  The phone started ringing off the hook the second Kaoru sat down.  Yumi was late, and Soujiro was in a rare mood.

            Yumi arrived, panting, at nine-thirty.

            "I'm so sorry," she said, tossing her purse on her desk.  "I have had the morning from hell. Soujiro hasn't been asking for me, has he?"

            "Not yet," Kaoru said.  "But look out, he's not happy today."  The phone rang.  "And this hasn't stopped ringing."

            She adjusted her headset and sat alert at the computer.  "Ohayo Gozaimasu, welcome to Personal Personals.  How can I help you?"

            She listened in silence as the message was dictated.  She took the credit card information and then said, "Yes, I've got that.  It'll appear in the next issue."  Then she hung up.

            "You're supposed to read it back to them," Yumi admonished as Kaoru finished her call.

            Kaoru's face was scarlet.  "Yumi, I couldn't read that back.  Look at it!"

            Yumi looked across at Kaoru's screen.  "I see what you mean," she said.  "There are certainly some weirdos in the city!  I wonder if any girl would ever respond to an ad like that?  Come to think of it, I wonder if any girl ever responded to any of our ads!"

            "I've had some really bizarre ones today," Kaoru said hurriedly.  The conversation was getting to close for comfort.  "'Couple waiting to meet couple for party games' … what so you think that could mean?"

            "The mind bobbles," Yumi said.

            "And listen to this," Kaoru went on.  "'Send me an angel.  Teach me new age, show me the stars and the trees, share your warmth and wisdom, your wit and peace.  Can we explore nature and universe within?"

            "I wouldn't have him exploring my nature!"  Yumi said with a chuckle.

            "And how about this one," Kaoru went on, laughing now.  "This was the first one I got today:  'After years of therapy, this guy is low on problems and high on fun.'"

            Yumi chuckled again.  "They've all got a screw loose," she said.  "But if you ever just happen to come across one that says 'Rich, successful, cultured, handsome and very straight executive seeks educated woman,' then let me know.  I'm going to call first before it gets in the paper."

            "Yumi!" Kaoru exclaimed, wagging a finger.

            "I know it would cost me my job if anyone found out."  Yumi said, "but if he was the right guy, then to hell with the job."

            She straightened out her desk and attached her headset.  "So it's been busy this morning, has it?"

            Oh, yeah," Kaoru said.  "Lights going all over the place."

            "I'm sorry I stuck you with it," Yumi said.

            "It's okay," Kaoru said. "I understand."

            "Anyways," Yumi said with a sideways glance, "You didn't go to Razzles last night, did you?"

            "Well..." Kaoru began.

            "Kaoru!"

            "Yes, I did," Kaoru said slowly.  She was trying to think whether she should tell Yumi the truth.

            "And?"

            Kaoru decided she just had to tell somebody.  "And I met him, Yumi!"

            "Was he and ugly?"

            "No.  He was gorgeous, just like I pictured him. Even better than I pictured him."

            And how did you know it was him?  Did Tomoe show up?"

            "Tomoe didn't show up," Kaoru said. "and I knew it was him because I heard him talking on the phone."

            "So did you actually meet him and talk to him?" Yumi asked.

            Again Kaoru hesitated.  "Sort of." She admitted.

            "And?  Don't keep me in suspense."

            "It all got rather weird.  He thought I knew where Tomoe was and he got upset," Kaoru said quietly.

            "What do you mean?"

            "He started yelling a little."

            "What did you do?"

            "I got scared and ran out," Kaoru said.  "Let's not talk about it anymore.  It's all over and done with."

            "Thank God for that," Yumi said. "any guy who would lose his cool with a complete stranger in a public place is not the sort of guy you want to know, Kaoru."

            "I guess not," Kaoru said.  "Although I can see now why he was so upset.  He thought I knew where Tomoe was and I wasn't going to tell him.  I suppose he was desperate enough to try and scare me into telling him."

            "You should forget about him," Yumi said.  "Either he's got a terrible temper or he's so crazy about this Tomoe that he's never going to look at another woman."  She answered a call, and then turned back to Kaoru.  "You didn't tell him who you really were and why you were there, did you?"

            "Do you think I'm totally stupid?" Kaoru said.  "He'd have been on the phone to Soujiro and had me fired by now."

            "So now you've learned you lesson," Yumi said.

            "I suppose you're right," Kaoru said.  "Although it was the most exciting thing that's happened to me since I came to Tokyo."

            "You deserve better forms of excitement than that, honey," Yumi said.

            "Which reminds me," Kaoru put in, "do you know any cheap clothing stores near here?  I want to create a new image for myself.  Look at me.  I'm totally blah.  I want to dress like an interesting person, and I can't afford to shop at the stores I'd like to go to.  I thought cheap clothing stores would be a start."

            "Good idea," Yumi said, "although I think you look very nice."

            "Yeah nice," Kaoru said, frowning.  "I don't want to look like somebody's kid sister.  I want to look sophisticated and fun."

            "In that case," Yumi said, "there are a few good clothing stores by the art institute."

            "Thanks," Kaoru said.  "I'll try and hit a couple of them at lunch time.  If all goes well, you might see a new me by this afternoon."

            "Don't do anything drastic will you?"  Yumi answered.  "Remember, you can't change who you really are inside.  You're sweet, trusting little Kaoru and that will come across however you dress."

            "Really?"  Kaoru said with a sigh.  "I'd sort of like to shake off that image, too."

            The switchboard lit up again.

            "Oh, brother," Yumi said.  "Can you get it?  I need a cup of tea ----- fast."

            "Sure," Kaoru said.  She pressed the lighted button.  "Oyaho Gozaimasu.  Personal Personals.  How may I help you?" she asked.

            There was a slight pause, then a voice said, "I'd like to place an ad and I want to make sure it goes ASAP."

            Kaoru's heart leapt up to her throat.  She couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but the voice sounded like Himura Kenshin.  At least he hadn't recognized her voice and put two and two together yet.  She coughed and said in her huskiest, deepest tones, "Gomen, but any copy we receive today will be put in the next issue.  We've already gone to press."

            "But this is really important," The voice said.  She was sure it was Kenshin now.  "I have to let someone see it tomorrow.  It's a matter of life and death."

            Kaoru was trying to breathe normally but it wasn't easy.  "Let me take the copy, sir and I'll see what I can so," she managed to say.

            "Thanks, you're great," he said.  Kaoru could feel herself beginning to melt again.

            "This is what I want to say," he went on.  "'Pretty stranger in Razzles on Wednesday, who knows Tomoe.  Please forgive me and come back tonight at eight.  Just five minutes of your time is all I ask.  I promise I'll behave.  Please be there.'  That's it," he added.

            Kaoru managed to make her tongue obey her enough to say what she was trained to.  "Arigatou.  That will be five lines and your box number is 1234.  May I have your name and address please?"

            Mechanically she typed them, even though she knew them by heart.  Her mind was racing.  He wanted to see her again!  He was sorry about the way he behaved last night.  She would have a chance to make everything all right, to explain that she didn't know Tomoe and then ... and then he'd know that she'd spied on him because of his ad.  She had broken the newspaper's code of privacy, and she could be fired.

            "I just remembered, sir," she babbled, "there's a two-for-one special this month and I see you placed an ad already, so you won't be billed for this one."

            "That's great," Kenshin's warm voice said. "At least one thing is going right for me this month.  And you'll try and get it into this week's paper for me, wont you?  I have to let a certain person know that I must see her again immediately.  I just want to stop worrying."

            I'll see that she gets to read your message, sir," Kaoru said, thinking that there was really no need to put the message into the paper, but that she would have to, in case Kenshin checked on it.

            "Thanks for your help.  You don't know what a lifesaver you are.  I was a total jerk last night and I have to make everything alright."

            I'm sure it will be," Kaoru said.

            "I hope so," Kenshin said.  "Thanks again."

            She heard the phone click on the other end and was still sitting there, staring into space when Yumi returned with the tea.

            "You'll never guess in a million years who that was," Kaoru said, coming out of her trance as Yumi put down a cup of tea in front of her.

"It had to be Kenshin," Yumi said.  "I'm psychic."  Then she burst out laughing.  "There aren't a whole lot of men in Tokyo who can send you into a trance like that. What did he want this time? Still desperately seeking Tomoe?

"No," Kaoru said.  "He wants to put in a message apologizing to me."

"Why didn't he do it over the phone?"

"Because he didn't know it was me," Kaoru said.  "I didn't want him to know in case I got into trouble."  She paused, playing with her pencil.  "He wants to meet me tomorrow night."

Yumi touched Kaoru's arm.  "Listen to me, Kaoru.  Don't go!  I don't feel good about this."

"I'll be okay.  We'll meet at Razzles ----- it's full of people.  I'm just going to see him, tell him the truth and I'll be perfectly safe.  The guy who lives across the hall from me is the bartender there.  If I scream, he'll save me.  So there's nothing to worry over."

Yumi sighed.  "Okay.  But please be careful.  If he wants to take you fro a cab ride, don't go!"

"Yumi, I'm not a total idiot," Kaoru said.  "And if all goes well, I might bring Kenshin in to meet you so that you can see what a nice guy he is."

The phone rang again.  Kaoru went for it, but Yumi got there first.  "I'll get this one," she said.  "I don't want you to find anymore poor, suffering guys whose problems need solving.  Life is complicated enough as it is, ff this one wants any special favors."

Kaoru jumped up.  "Oh, no," she exclaimed.  "I promised Kenshin I'd get his ad into tomorrow's edition, and look at the time.  I'd better get down to typesetting right away or I'll never mange to squeeze it in."

"Good luck," Yumi said dryly.  "You really will have to be a miracle worker if you can make Saitoh Hajime move his schedule.  He's one of those old guys who believe in sticking to his routine."

Kaoru ran down the stairs, almost colliding with Soujiro as she jumped the last three.

"Whoa," he yelled.  Steadying her as she landed.  "Where's the fire?"

"Big rush, Soujiro," she gasped.  "I've got to try and squeeze in another message before Saitoh has set the whole page for tomorrow's edition."

Tomorrow's edition?" Soujiro said.  "That page will probably be done by now."

"But I promised a client I'd do my best to get it in," Kaoru said.

Soujiro wagged a finger.  "Kaoru, remember how we feel here about getting personally involved with clients.  I hope you aren't breaking the rules."

Oh, no," Kaoru said hastily.  "It's just that he told me such a sad story about how he'd almost lost the girl of his dreams and his only hope was to meet her tomorrow night before ... uh ... before she leaves town for good."

Soujiro laughed.  "Kaoru, you're a hopeless romantic.  These guys always say the same things.  It probably has nothing to do with romance.  The girl is about to leave town with his CD player and he wants it back."

"And you're a hopeless cynic," Kaoru said.

Soujiro actually threw back his head and laughed even harder.

"Go do your best with Saitoh," Soujiro said.  "Tell him I said we should try and find a place for it because it's a special customer."

"Thanks a million, Soujiro," Kaoru said, shocked at his attitude.  Maybe soon I can approach him about writing an article or two, she thought.  Then she realized that she had lied to him about the ad and having no personal involvement.  If Soujiro even found out the truth ... but he's not likely to, she decided.  I'll make sure he never does!

TBC

**Author's Note:  **Well that's it for now.  What do you think?  I look forward to hearing all your reviews.  Ja ne mina!  (-o-)


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

**Disclaimer:   
**I don't own RK.

**Author's Note:  
**I'm sorry it took me a while to update. Hope this is worth the wait. Thanks for all your patience everyone.

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Friday evening, a lone young woman walked uncertainly down the street toward Razzles bar. Apart from her straight black hair, it would be hard to recognize her immediately as Kaoru. She had spent two very successful lunch hours at the clothing stores that Yumi suggested and had bought black leggings and an oversize print sweater, among other things. She had splurged on makeup and wore lots of black eyeliner and red, red lipstick.

Kaoru had amazed herself over the past few days. The "Kenshin Thing" had shaken her up.

She'd changed her image. She'd charmed crusty Saitoh into finding a slot for Kenshin's ad, even though he claimed they were ready to go to press.

He'd given in to her pleas and removed the "after years of therapy" ad. "I wouldn't want my daughter to meet a guy like that," he'd said, tapping that ad with his finger. "At least this one sounds like a regular guy."

And now she was about to see if Saitoh was right. Was Kenshin a regular guy? She had firmly believed so all day. But now it was dark, drizzling, and her doubts rose to the surface.

"I've got nothing to fear and everything to gain, and I don't believe all those horrible things about Kenshin," she said, loudly and bravely, making a couple walking ahead turn to stare at her.

The clock on a nearby church tower was chiming eight as she stepped into Razzles. Being Friday night it was packed with people. The same rock band from Wednesday night was playing in the far corner of the bar, and the place seemed to be pulsating like a deep heartbeat. A couple was even trying to dance in three inches of space in the foyer. A long line waited for tables in the restaurant upstairs. Kaoru noted she got some interested looks as she pushed through the crowd toward the bar. She smiled with the confidence in her new image.

As she stepped into the bar, the first thing she noted was that Yahiko was not working. Every night that she didn't want to be seen, he was here, and now that she might really need a friend and ally, there was a strange man with a mustache working the bar. That meant her first safety net was not in operation. She'd have nobody to go to if Kenshin did turn violent with her.

Never mind, she thought, the place is full. There's no room for any sort of weird behavior here. I'm perfectly safe. She let her gaze wander around the room until she gave a little gasp. Kenshin was sitting at the nearby table, staring down at a half empty wineglass in front of him. She took a deep breath before she went up to him.

"Hi," she said.

He looked up, focused on her, then did a double take. "You came. Wow. I don't even know your name ..." He got to his feet awkwardly.

"I'm Kaoru," she said shyly.

"And I'm Kenshin." He held out his hand to her.

"Yes I know." When she took it, it was warm and strong and she was surprised at the tingle that ran all the way up her arm.

They stood there for a moment, their eyes holding each other, their hands still clasped. Then they both seemed to realize at the same moment and dropped hands with embarrassed smiles.

"I saw you come in but I didn't recognize you," Kenshin said to cover his embarrassment. "And now that I see you close up, you don't look like Tomoe at all. It was just that the other night, with all that hair tumbling down your back, and the denim...Tomoe wears a lot of denim. At least she did. You probably know what she looks like now better than I do."

Kaoru shook her head. "That's why I came back to tonight, Kenshin. To tell you the truth. To make you believe that I don't know Tomoe."

The band struck up a lour number, making the glasses on the table vibrate. Kenshin frowned. "Look, I wanted to buy you a drink and sort this whole crazy thing out, but we can't talk here. Let's go somewhere else, okay?"

"Somewhere else?" Instantly Kaoru was jolted out of her pleasant, romantic mood. Warily she took a step back, bumping into a man who was carrying two glasses to a table. She muttered an apology.

Kenshin nodded. "Have you had dinner yet, because I'm starving. I know a great place not too far away. It's quiet and we can talk and they make the best sushi and sashimi. How about it?"

Kaoru was desperately trying to think of a good reason for staying in the noise and safety of Razzles.

He reached into his pants pocket and flung some bills on the table. He then took her elbow. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I like rock music, but not so loud and not right now." And he gave her a smile that melted some of her fears. She could feel his firm grip on her elbow as he steered her out of the bar and through the crowded foyer.

Don't go, a voice kept saying in her head. This is crazy. This is just what you promised you wouldn't do.

At the doorway she hesitated, turning back to him. "Look, I'm not quite sure about this," she said.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'm not trying to pick you up. I've been trying to find someone I care a lot about and anything that you can tell me, anything at all... Look, I'd really appreciate it if you'd come. I need to talk to someone before I go crazy."

The rain began to fall harder; stinging rain off the lake.

"Oh, great," he said in annoyance, "and I'm wearing my favorite leather jacket, too. I've never yet figured out why leather is ruined if it gets wet. I mean, cows don't get ruined in the rain, do they?"

It was so unexpected that Kaoru had to laugh. "No, they don't."

"I didn't think so," he said. "I never saw a field full of waterlogged cows."

He looked up and down the street. "If only we could find a taxi."

Taxis sped by, all occupied and heading for other destinations. Without warning, Kenshin grabbed her arm again. "Come on. Let's run for it," he said. "It's only just around the corner, and most of the buildings have awnings."

Kaoru didn't really have a chance to say no. With his fingers around her forearm, she was propelled along through the evening crowd. Everything began to feel very unreal. Her feet hardly seemed to be touching the sidewalk. They seemed to be going very fast, the buildings flying past them and the people's faces just blur. At the end of the block they turned into a dark alleyway and Kenshin slowed their pace.

"There. It's not raining so much here," he said, releasing her arm. It was true that the tall buildings on either side protected them from the rain, but they also shut them off from the outside world. One lone street lamp threw an anemic glow that only succeeded in lighting the end of the alleyway. They were suddenly alone in a world of darkness and garbage cans. No sign of a restaurant ahead, no friendly neon light spilling out of a doorway. Kaoru looked around uneasily. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"This is a shortcut," Kenshin said.

She could imagine Yumi's reaction to that one. "I really don't think----" she began.

"Is something bugging you?" Kenshin asked. "You seem jumpy."

"Yes, something is bugging me," she blurted out, feeling close to tears. "I don't know you from Adam, and the only other time I've seen you, you look like you wanted to kill me and now you're taking me down a dark alley..."

By the light of the lamp at the alley's end she could see his features soften. "I'm sorry. I was acting kind of strange the other night. No wonder you're scared. I wanted to explain." He gently touched her hand. "Look, you really don't have to be afraid of me. I'm your basic nice guy who's been shook up lately. And this really is a shortcut. But if you'd rather we go the long way round, that's okay."

"Well, I guess I believe you," Kaoru said hesitantly. "Everyone has to take some risk sometimes, don't they?"

"I'll walk ahead if you like," he said, grinning now. "That way you can keep an eye on me all the time."

Kaoru laughed nervously as he started to stride out ahead of her. He kept on going until they emerged at the other end to a brightly lit street. Just around the corner a winking neon sign proclaimed Seijuro's. A striped awning covered the sidewalk and there were trees in pots where sidewalk tables stood in better weather.

"Here we are," Kenshin said. "See, I didn't turn into the phantom of the alley." He turned to smile at her. In the bright lights of the street Kaoru wondered how she could have been scared of him. He had the most wonderful smile. "I have to admit, I could really go for some sushi in a big way," he said, pushing the door open for her.

They stopped inside to the warmth of the restaurant. A man came running over to them. "Ah, Kenshin, so good to see you."

"How are you, Hiko?" Kenshin said.

"Not bad, not bad," the man said. "And yourself?"

"A little wet," Kenshin said.

"Must be pretty important occasion to be out on a bad night like this," Hiko said. "You're favorite table?"

Kaoru was impressed. So Kenshin was a person who went to nice restaurants enough to be known there.

"My office is right across the street, so I come here a lot," he explained, as if he was embarrassed by the attention. He put his hand on Kaoru's back to steer her across the room. It was the lightest of the touches, but it felt to Kaoru as if his hand were burning right through the fabric of her coat and into her skin. She wondered if the contact was having any effect on him.

Don't be stupid, she scolded herself severely. He probably wasn't even aware that he was touching her. All his thoughts were still with Tomoe, and the only reason he wanted to be with Kaoru was because he hoped to find Tomoe again.

Kaoru had been so concerned for her safety that she had forgotten the main reason for her mission. Soon she'd have to tell Kenshin the truth. How would he react when he found out? She had seen how he could react when he was angry. Would he be angry when he found out that she had snooped and interfered in his personal ad?

**TBC**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own RK.

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter seven and I'll try to update every week (Thursday).

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Kenshin leaned back and looked at Kaoru. "Suppose you tell me everything you know about Tomoe."

Hiko had been sent to get some sake and two sake disks while Kenshin and Kaoru studied the menu. Kaoru didn't know much about sake, and she wasn't too sure it was what she wanted right now. But she didn't get much of a choice.

"That's just it," she said slowly. "I don't know anything about Tomoe at all. I don't even know her."

Kenshin frowned, and Kaoru was scared that he might get angry again. "I don't get it. You knew who I was in Razzles. You heard me talking on the phone and then I grabbed you. You said you didn't know Tomoe. But I've been going over it in my mind and I'm pretty damn sure that I never mentioned her name once, so what is this all about?"

"Nothing like that," Kaoru said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Now that she had to tell him, she realized how stupid it would sound. But there was no other alternative than the truth, even if it did mean Kenshin getting angry at her and losing him forever.

Not that I ever had a chance with him, she thought, gazing wistfully at the handsome, worried face opposite her. It was just a fantasy ---- one that was too good to be true!

The sake arrived and Hiko poured each of them generous portions. Kenshin raised his sake disk toward Kaoru and she did the same before taking a sip. It was rich and smooth, and it slid down like polished silk.

Kenshin glanced at the menu. "They make the best sashimi and sushi here," he commented.

Kaoru nodded. "Fine," she said. She hadn't a clue what she was agreeing to, but it seemed the right thing to do to let Kenshin order in his favorite restaurant. Hiko nodded and went off with the orders.

Kaoru looked up to see Kenshin watching her. "So?" he asked as he sat with his hands around his drink.

"You're going to think I'm nuts," she began, "but I saw your personal ad and I was curious."

There. She'd said it and not implicated herself! She hadn't exactly lied, but she heard the moment the words came out that it sounded as if she had seen the ad as a reader, not the ad taker.

Kenshin looked slightly puzzled and slightly amused. "Do you do this kind of thing for a hobby? Follow up on other people's ads?"

She looked down at the white tablecloth. "It sounds stupid, doesn't it?" she said. "But I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I just wanted to see if you really did find Tomoe again."

As you can see, I didn't," he said and frown lines appeared in his forehead, "it was pretty much a long shot, putting the ad in the paper, but I figured it would be the sort of paper she'd read if she came to Tokyo. She likes to think of herself as really hip."

"You don't even know if she's in Tokyo?" Kaoru asked.

Kenshin shrugged. "I know she's always dreamed of being famous. She'd come and stay with me and she'd always beg me to take to see a show. Do you go to the theater much?"

"I wish I could," Kaoru said. "But I'm struggling on a tight budget, and theaters cost big bucks."

"They sure do," Kenshin said.

"Have you asked around the theaters?" Kaoru asked.

"The first places I went," Kenshin said. "I asked about her at all the stage doors, but most of the doorkeepers are very uncooperative. I might have been some strange guy waiting to pester one of the casts. But some of them let me look down the cast list ---- and she wasn't there. Of course she might have taken a stage name. That's the kind of thing she would do ---- she always had a flair for the dramatic." A spasm of pain crossed his face and he gave a heavy sigh.

Kaoru longed to hug him, to stroke away those frown lines between his eyes. She found herself wondering how it would feel to hold him close to her, to draw his head toward her breast and to stroke his thick red hair while she soothed away his hurt. She had to remind herself that it wasn't her he wanted, He was sighing for someone else he loved.

"How long since you saw her?" she asked gently.

"I hadn't seen her for a couple of months," he said, "but I've been kind of busy and she was a three-hour drive away. So it was a complete shock when they called me and told me she'd left home ---- just upped and left one morning with all her things. No note, no nothing. I knew she wanted to get away as quickly as possible, but we both agreed that she'd stay home and finish up college first. I told her she needed the qualification if she was going to survive on her own, and she agreed. But now she's taken off with one semester left. It just doesn't make sense."

He looked at Kaoru and she nodded to show him she understood.

"Nobody's heard anything from her since then," he said. "I was sure she'd contact me, even if she didn't want the others to know where she was. I mean, dammit, she must have known that she could stay with me, that I'd take care of her. I guess I'm kind of hurt that she didn't come straight to me," he said.

Kaoru cleared her throat. "Do you have any reason to suspect that something bad could have happened to her? I mean, have you contacted the police?"

He paused before he answered. "No, I don't have any reason to suppose anything bad has happened. And I haven't contacted the police. What could I say? She's not a minor. She's free to go where she wants. She always liked to be independent. But I can't help worrying about her."

He paused and studied Kaoru's face. "She really is very like you," he said thoughtfully.

He reached across and took Kaoru's hand. "If you really do know where Tomoe is, please tell her that I don't want to run her life for her. I just need to know that she's okay and she's happy. That's all. It's not much to ask is it?"

"I really wish that I could help you," Kaoru said shakily. His hand was over hers. "In fact, I wish that I did know Tomoe so that I could tell her those things. But I really, truly don't."

He nodded. "I'm glad that you're here though," he said. "I haven't had anybody I could talk to before. It's been driving me crazy. At work I'm supposed to be the ambitious advertising type. Meeting tough clients, selling them on our ideas, hoping for that promotion. There's nobody I could tell that I was being eaten up inside."

"You must care a lot about her," Kaoru said.

He looked astonished. "Of course I care about her. She means everything to me. She always has."

"If you want my help," Kaoru said, "I'll do what I can. You can show me a photo of her and I could ask around for you."

He looked at her warmly. You'd do that for me?"

There, he has said it. It was stupid to think that he had even noticed his warm hand, firm hand still covering hers. Hiko appeared with two sashimi and sushi boats and Kenshin sat up, taking his napkin from its folded water- lily position on his side plate. Kaoru picked up her chopsticks and touched one roll full of salmon.

"Forgive me for my ignorance, but what is this?" She asked.

Kenshin smiled. "It's salmon. Uh-oh. I hope you're not allergic to seafood."

I've never tried salmon," Kaoru said. "I don't think anyone where I came from has ever tried salmon, but I'm willing to give them a try."

"You won't regret it," Kenshin said.

She took a bite. "It's good," she managed as soon as she had swallowed.

"So tell me," Kenshin said, "where are you from?"

"Out in the boonies. A small town called Atami. I know you've never heard of it."

"Wrong," Kenshin said. He waved his chopsticks at her delightedly. "We played against your school in a Kendo match."

"I knew you had to know Kendo," Kaoru said excitedly.

"I'm a bit rusty," Kenshin said. "I am now horribly unfit. I keep telling myself that I'm going to practice every morning before work. Then I wake up late and I tell myself tomorrow!"

Kaoru laughed. "I walk to work and back," she said. "It helps keep me in shape."

"You're kidding. You look great ---- like a dancer or something."

Kaoru shook her head. "Not even close," she said. "I was hopeless when I took ballet lessons when I was six."

"So what do you do, Kaoru?"

It was the first time she could remember him using her name.

"I ... er, I'm a sort of cub reporter. I --- I want to be a journalist," she stammered.

"No kidding? Which newspaper?"

"Tokyo Now," she said.

"Aha. That's why you saw my ad," he said. "I bet I can guess the whole scenario now!"

She felt herself turning red. The truth was about to come out.

He nodded. "You're always on the lookout for a scoop, right? I never thought that the personals would be a good place, but I bet you can find a lot of material in those ads. 'Missing Heiress Found Working in Homeless Shelter'? That sort of thing?"

"Oh, no," Kaoru said. "I'd never use another person's problem to get a scoop. I'm not like that."

"Then why?" Kenshin wanted to know.

"Why what?"

"Why would you care? Don't you have other things to worry about?"

Kaoru looked away in embarrassment. "There's not too much exciting in my life right now," she said. "I share a place with two other girls. I go to work. I come home, eat and watch TV. Hardly the life I'd dreamed of living in the big city."

"So, why don't you do something about it?" Kenshin said. "There are so many things to do and ways to meet people. You could join clubs or take classes..."

"All of those things cost money," Kaoru said simply. "Right now I have to decide if I can afford fries with my shake."

Kenshin nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm really stupid sometimes. I remember exactly what it was like when I was getting started. I never had any money when I was a student. We used to tour the food demonstrations at the big stores until they got to know us and wouldn't give us any more pieces of cheese."

Kaoru laughed. "I've thought of doing the same thing."

"You should. You can get a well-balanced meal if you go on the right days. Better yet, you should find a nice guy who has a good income and is prepared to take you to expensive restaurants so that you can give up fast- food in favor of cuisine.

He looked at her then, his eyes holding her steadily. What was he saying, she wondered. That he wanted to be that guy and take her out to eat again? She wished she had been around men more so that she could be sure.

"So tell me about some of your scoops at Tokyo Now," Kenshin said.

Part of her wanted to lie, to tell him fantastic stories about underground corruption she had discovered at city hall. But she couldn't. She didn't want Kenshin to think she was something she wasn't. "No scoops yet, I'm afraid," she said. "The editor is a terrifying man called Soujiro, and I haven't yet gotten up the courage to egg him for a real story."

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Kaoru. You can do it," he said. "Just don't give up."

"I hope so," she said softly. She was thinking that she wanted Himura Kenshin and a journalistic career equally badly and both seemed equally out of reach right now.

"I don't blame Tomoe for wanting out," he said. I knew she wasn't happy studying business, but I guess I didn't realize how much it bummed her out to have to sit through accounting classes every day." He looked up at Kaoru. "Do you really think she's okay?"

"I'm positive," Kaoru said with an assurance she didn't feel. "From what you've told me, I'm sure she's just trying to make a life for herself and she doesn't want to get in touch with anyone close to her until she'd made a success of it. I know exactly how it is ---"

She broke off. Kenshin seemed to understand. "You sound like you've been through it, too."

She nodded. "Exactly the same sort of thing. My parents wanted me to live a life on their terms, to stay home in Atami, go to college, take lots of home economic courses so I'd make a good wife and then get married like my oneechan. They laughed when I tried to tell them my dreams. They wouldn't take me seriously. Do you know that my Otosan and my ex-boyfriend actually suggested that I could write an occasional article for the local newspaper if I wanted to be a journalist?"

Kenshin laughed. "That's too bad."

"It sure is," she said. "In the end I couldn't take it anymore. I just got out of there and came to the city, and I'm not going back until I'm a success."

Kenshin nodded, looking at her appraisingly. "Looks are deceiving, Kaoru... What did you say your last name was?"

"I didn't. It's Kamiya," she said.

"Kamiya Kaoru. Good name for a reporter. 'And now over to Kamiya Kaoru at the Embassy'!"

Kaoru giggled.

"As I was saying," Kenshin went on, "looks are deceiving, Kamiya Kaoru," he said. "You look like Bambi, but you're tough, aren't you?"

"I'm learning to be."

"And you're making it on your own, so I have to believe that Tomoe is, too," he said. "I'm really glad you decided to come tonight, Kaoru."

She didn't know what to say because she wasn't sure what he meant.

"You said you believe in happy endings," he went on, "but do you also believe in fate?"

"I'm not sure."

"I have to believe that it was fate that made me put the ad in the newspaper so that you'd see it and be curious enough to come to Razzles. I might never have met you if you hadn't believed in happy endings."

They finished their meal and the waiter brought tea.

Suddenly she noticed that Kenshin was looking at her with such tenderness that she could hardly believe it.

"Are you ready to face the storm?" he asked.

"Yes. And thanks. That was the best sushi and sashimi I've ever had in my life."

"Then you're easily pleased, though it is pretty good sushi." He helped her with her coat and they went to the door. As the stepped out into the night, the street lamps reflected from the wet sidewalks. The wind seemed to have died down, though.

"Hey it's stopped raining!" Kenshin said. "Where do you live, Kaoru?"

She told him the address.

"Not too far from here," he said. "And not even too far from me. I live in one of those big apartment blocks.

Her expression didn't betray that she knew this information already.

"I wonder if there are any taxis at this time of night," he said, looking up and down the street. "Never when you want them in this city. But I've got a great idea. Why don't we walk part of the way back? Or have you had enough walking for one day?"

"On, no," Kaoru said. "I'd love to walk.

"It may not be smart to do it with me," Kenshin said, giving her a glance of much intensity that she felt her insides flip-flop, "but I'd say it is a risk we both should take."

Kenshin took her hand and they set off into the night. Kaoru wasn't even conscious of her feet touching the sidewalk. All that mattered was Kenshin's presence, close beside her, and his hand, string and warm in hers. It was like a daydream turned into reality, and Kaoru half expected to wake up with a jolt and find herself staring at her computer terminal. Could this really be her with this gorgeous man? Had he really decided that Tomoe was not going to come back to him, and was she, Kaoru from Atami, going to be the one to put Tomoe from his mind?

It was cold, but it was a crisp sort of cold that felt good as it stung the cheeks.

"Not too cold?" Kenshin asked. He stopped to touch her cheek with his other hand. "Hey," he said. You are cold. I should do something about that right now." His arms came around her and he drew her close to him. "People can die form frostbite," he said, his eyes glowing as he looked down into Kaoru's upturned face. "And the lips are especially vulnerable. The only thing to do is to restore circulation right away..." Before Kaoru realized what was happening, his lips came to meet hers. This was no gentle brushing, the way Tsukioka Tsunan or the dorks at home had tried to kiss her. These were the lips of a man, who lived as a fast- paced executive in the big city and knew what he wanted. They were warm and demanding as they crushed against hers. She felt his tongue forcing between her lips and she parted them with a sigh of desire. His hands slid inside her coat.

"My place is only a couple of blocks away and it's damned cold out here," he murmured as they drew apart. "What do you say Kaoru?"

Kaoru was still breathless and dizzy form his demanding kiss. She had never known feelings like these before, never known that she could want a man as badly as she wanted Kenshin right now.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Oh, Kaoru," he murmured, his lips toying with hers as he spoke. "You're so sweet, so desirable, so adorable...I can't wait---" He broke off, drawing apart from her, looking down at her, sharply and critically.

"What is it?" she asked, sensing the alarm in his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"This is," he said suddenly. "I'm sorry, Kaoru but I really don't think this is a good idea after all. I mean, it's starting to rain again and you should get home and get on with your own life."

He released her and leapt toward a passing taxi. The taxi screeched to a halt and Kenshin bundled the stunned Kaoru inside.

"Take her wherever she wants to go," he said, stuffing a twenty into the driver's hand.

Then he crossed the street behind the cab and ran off into the night.

**TBC**

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**Author's Note: **So, what do you think? Don't hesitate to leave a message and tell me if I need to improve on anything. Thanks a lot! (-o-)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

**Disclaimer: **I don't RK.

**Author's Note: **Thank you everyone for all the reviews and support.

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"Kaoru, what's the matter?" Megumi leapt up from the sofa where she'd been sprawled, watching TV.

Kaoru was hardly aware how she'd gotten home. She didn't remember walking up the stairs or putting the key in the lock. All she concentrated on was getting into her room before she started to cry again.

"What happened?" Megumi asked again.

Kaoru meant to say "Nothing at all," and rush past. But Misao heard the voices in the hallway and came out from the kitchen.

"What is it?" Misao asked, when she saw Kaoru's tear-stained cheeks. "Kaoru, are you okay?" she said.

Kaoru nodded. She didn't want to try and speak because she knew she wouldn't be able to get the words out without sobbing.

"I mean, are you really okay? Nobody tied to attack you or mug you or anything?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No," she managed to mumble.

Misao didn't hover as Megumi had. She ran up and wrapped Kaoru in a big bear hug. "It's okay. We're here. Come in to the kitchen and I'll fix you a cup of tea and you can tell us all about it," she said.

Kaoru let herself be propelled along the hall and seated on a kitchen stool.

"Now," Misao said gently, "Drink some and you'll feel better."

"She'd probably feel better after a long shot of whiskey," Megumi said dryly. "The way she looks, I don't think tea will do it."

"We don't have any whiskey, so tea will have to do," Misao said. "She's cold. She needs warming up."

The tea was finding its way down to Kaoru's stomach, even though she'd been sure she wouldn't be able to swallow. And it was warming her. But the suddenly overwhelming kindness was too much for her. Tears started to flow unchecked down her cheeks, dripping from her chin onto her collar. Megumi ran to get the box of tissue from the bathroom and offered then to her.

"You better use these before we have to start building an ark," she said.

Kaoru managed a watery smile and dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue.

"Now, tell us what upset you so much," Megumi said. "With crying like that, it's got to be a man."

Kaoru tried to get control of her breathing. "It's all over," she gasped. "He doesn't want to see me again."

"Who doesn't?" both girls asked in unison.

"Kenshin."

"Kenshin who?" both girls chorused again.

"Kaoru, is this what's been going on?" Misao asked.

Kaoru nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us about him before?" Megumi demanded. "Why keep him a big secret? What's wrong with him?"

Kaoru shook her head violently. "Nothing. He was wonderful..." The last words were overwhelmed with sobs again.

"So why didn't you tell us, Kaoru?" Misao asked gently. "We're your closest friends. We'd have been really happy for you that you'd found a guy. You know that."

"But he wasn't really mine," Kaoru blurted out. "That was the problem... He was Tomoe's and I only went because I wanted to see them together again and I didn't expect to fall in love with him --- in fact he scared me at first --- but then I did fall in love with him and I thought he loved me and he'd forgotten Tomoe for a moment, but I guess he hadn't and I guess I'm so boring and unattractive that no guy wants to be with me for long..."

The words poured out in a torrent, interspersed with sobs. Finally Megumi interrupted. "Kaoru, what the hell are you talking about?" she asked. "I haven't been able to understand a word you've been said. Begin at the beginning and tell us the story one step at a time."

Kaoru took a long sip of the tea, then a deep breath. "It all started when he placed an ad," she said. "He was trying to find Tomoe again."

"Who was?" Misao asked.

"Kenshin. His name is Kenshin. He was worried about Tomoe."

"Who's Tomoe?"

"His lost love. I think she must have been his childhood sweetheart. They've known each other a long time."

"And how did you get involved?" Megumi asked.

"I went to Razzles to see if he met up with Tomoe again."

"You followed up on someone else's ad?" Misao asked in amazement. "Kaoru, why would you do a thing like that? Isn't that breaking your paper's code of privacy? You could get fired."

"I know," Kaoru said. "That's why I didn't want to tell you guys about it. Plus, you'd all think I was stupid."

"So why did you go?"

Kaoru looked at her cup of tea. "Two reasons," she said. "I was curious. I wanted to see them get back together again and...and I fell in love with his voice."

"You went to meet a strange guy because of his voice!" Misao exclaimed.

"I know, it was dumb of me," Kaoru said, "but I couldn't help it. It was almost as if his voice had me hypnotized. I know I wasn't behaving rationally, but I just had to meet him."

"So what did you say? 'Hi, I'm your friendly ad taker and I've fallen in love with you voice, just in case Tomoe doesn't show up'," Megumi said sarcastically. Then she saw Kaoru's face. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't funny to you. I can see you're really hurting. So you met him and he turned out to be a jerk after all?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I met him and he was great," she said. "He was everything I dreamed of. We went out to dinner and we talked about Tomoe and I thought he had resigned himself to not seeing her again. I really thought that he had begun to like me instead, but..."

"But what?"

"Everything seemed to be going so well," Kaoru said. "We were walking hand in hand and it was so romantic! He stopped to kiss me and it was so great, and then, suddenly, he looked at me like he never wanted to see me again and he bundled me into a taxi." She started to cry again. "I don't understand. Am I really so gross that no guy wants to be near me?"

"Of course not," Misao said. "You're very cute, Kaoru. Any guy would be happy to have you."

"Then why?" Kaoru asked miserably. "What did I do to turn him off suddenly? The way he was kissing me, I thought he really liked me a lot. Do you think it's because I haven't been with any city guys and I don't know how to kiss the right way or something?"

"There's no right or wrong way to kiss," Megumi said. "When the time comes, you do what feels good, and that's always right. Simple as that."

"So why did he decide he didn't want to see me again?"

"He actually said that?"

"No, but he sure implied it," Kaoru said hopelessly. "He said this wasn't a good idea after all, and he told me I had to get on with my own life. Then he shoved me into a taxi and told the driver to take me home."

"Sounds to me like guilt pangs," Misao said, looking to Megumi for support.

"Me, too," Megumi said.

"You mean Kenshin was feeling guilty?" Kaoru asked.

Misao nodded. "About Tomoe," she said. "He meets you when he's trying to trace his former love. Now he's attracted to you but suddenly he reminds himself that he shouldn't give up on a girl he's loved for most of his life. He's betraying her trust by kissing you."

"I see," Kaoru said slowly. "So, what you're saying is that he hasn't gotten over her at all. He might have been a little attracted to me, on the surface, but deep down he's still in love with Tomoe."

"That's what it looks like to me," Misao said gently. "Of course, I could be wrong. I have been known to make mistakes about men before."

Misao looked across at Megumi and grinned.

"You? Never," Megumi said fondly.

Kaoru was digesting what Misao had said. Either Kenshin didn't find Kaoru desirable or he was still desperately in love with Tomoe. Either way, it seemed pretty hopeless.

"So do you think I should just forget about him?" Kaoru asked in a shaky voice. It hurt even to say it out loud.

"Do you want to forget about him?" Megumi asked?

"Of course not. I think I've fallen in love with him in a big way. That's why it hurts so much," Kaoru said. "I never felt like this about anybody before. He's so perfect...he even knows where Atami is."

"Definitely perfect," Megumi said with a smile.

"So fight for him," Misao said. "Do your best to get him back."

"But what can I do? He doesn't want me. He's in love with Tomoe forever."

"Oh, Kaoru, you should have told us all this before," Megumi said. "We could have helped you."

"Oh, no," Kaoru sighed. "I might have a broken heart, but it was worth every minute of it."

"Don't talk like it's all over," Megumi said. "If you really want him, I say go for it."

"But how?"

Misao glanced across at Megumi for inspiration.

"You could try and find Tomoe for him, and maybe she's got a new guy. Then Kenshin will see she doesn't want him anymore."

"How could I do that?" Kaoru said. "Kenshin has been combing the city for a month now. He even ran that ad in the paper he's sure Tomoe would read, and no luck. Besides," she added, "I don't even know what she looks like."

"Good point," Megumi said.

"I think you should call Kenshin," Misao said. "Tell him how you feel, but that you understand about Tomoe and you're prepared to be just friends if that's what he wants. Tell him you value his friendship, and let things progress from there."

"There's only one small detail," Kaoru said. "He didn't give me his address."

"But you already have it from the newspaper."

"I know that," Kaoru said, "but he doesn't know that I was his ad taker. He thinks I read the ad and became curious.

"So call him up and tell the truth," Megumi said impatiently.

"I can't do that," Kaoru said. "If he gets mad at me, he could complain and I'd be fired."

"This is a tricky one," Misao said.

"Maybe I could give him time," Kaoru continued. "Maybe he just has to work things through. If I don't hear from him in a week, I'll take the risk and call him. After that, what have I got to lose? There must be other jobs that pay minimum wage. And if I work at Norstrom's, at least I'll get a clothing discount!"

Megumi had been eyeing Kaoru. "Yeah, Kaoru, speaking of clothes...what are you doing dressed like that?"

"It's my new look. I decided the old me was too dull, so I created a new me. What do you think?"

"I think it's very...interesting---" Misao began.

Megumi cut in. "But it's not you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you look like an art student and you're not."

"But I hated the way I looked; like someone's niece from the sticks. I thought Kenshin might like me better this way."

"And did he?"

"I guess not. Maybe he got interested in me because he thought I was the experienced type, and when he kissed me he found out how boring I really am."

"That's silly," Misao said. "Besides, men think the innocent types are sexy."

"So what should I do?" Kaoru said. "I don't want to go back to being my old self."

"Then decide who you want to be and work on it," Megumi said.

"Who I'd want to be costs big bucks," Kaoru said.

"Maybe I could help out," Megumi said. "I've got some nice stuff in my closet. Come look it over. You can borrow what you want."

"Mine, too," Misao said. "Although most of my stuff might not fit you.

Kaoru jumped down from her stool and came over to put her arms around her friends' shoulders. "You guys are the greatest," she said.

"What are roommates for?" Misao said, smiling.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

**Disclaimer:** RK does not belong to me.

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all the reviews I have received. It's nice to know there are people out there who likes my story -

--------------------------

When Kaoru woke the next morning, she lay in bed wondering why her head was full of dazed and confused thoughts, and her stomach was churning the way it used to in school before a math exam. She knew something was wrong, and for a moment she couldn't remember what.

Suddenly it came to her. Kenshin. Kenshin had run off into the night with no explanation, and she might never see him again.

Her two roommates had tried hard the night before, but neither of them had come up with a way to get him back. All she could do was hang out at Razzles and just hope that one day he'd realize that Tomoe wasn't going to appear and that Kaoru wasn't so bad after all. She didn't look forward to this. She felt awkward and out of place hanging in the trendy bar. But she couldn't see any alternative, and she wanted to get Kenshin back more than anything in the world.

The feel of his arms around her, his body close against hers and his warm, demanding lips were still so real to her. She could remember every moment of the encounter last night, and she closed her eyes as she relived them again. Kenshin must have felt something, she decided. Nobody kissed like that unless they meant it. So it had to be guilt, as Megumi had suggested. Kenshin knew he should be searching for Tomoe, not spending time with Kaoru, and that was preying on his mind. If only they could find Tomoe, maybe he'd be able to get on with his life again. Kaoru just hoped that his future life would include her.

She went through the details of the evening again and again. He had enjoyed her company, hadn't he? She remembered the way they had laughed together over dinner, the way he looked at her. Surely she hadn't misjudged those things. He had cared about her and he had desired her too. She was fairly sure of that.

With a sigh, Kaoru dragged herself out of bed. She wished she had given Kenshin her address. If he had felt sudden remorse after he let her go, he could have called her or come to see her. Now he had no way of getting in touch with her over the weekend.

Kaoru felt as if she were living in a vacuum. Usually she looked forward to her weekends as times to explore the city, to go window-shopping or visit some of the galleries. But this weekend stretched bleak and endless before her---two long, horrible days before Kenshin had any chance of contacting her unless he showed up looking for her at Razzles.

After a long shower, Kaoru found her roommates in the kitchen.

"Oh, good, someone here is dressed," Megumi said. "Be a pal and go out and get us some food and the paper."

Kaoru grumbled good-naturedly, but gave in.

"And make it a real paper, not Tokyo Now," Megumi called after her.

Half an hour later, Kaoru returned, paper and noodles in had. The three women enjoyed a relaxing morning.

"So what are your plans for tonight?" Misao asked. "Big date, Megumi?"

Megumi looked up from the paper. "No, Sanosuke wanted to drag me to some club with some old college friends of his. But I hate clubs. I'll see him tomorrow. But tonight we should take Kaoru out on the town."

"Oh, but I was going to Razzles," she blurted out. "Just in case Kenshin shows up."

Megumi shook her head. "Bad idea. That makes you look to desperate. Let him sweat, and let him think he's lost you. If he really wants to see you again, he'll figure out a way."

Kaoru tried to digest this. Could she stand to stay away on the slim hope he'd come back to her? "But what if he comes in tonight and doesn't see me? He'll think I'm not interested."

"No way. He'll think you're upset and he'll start feeling bad and he'll figure out he's going to have to chase you."

"She's right," Misao said. "I've learned that one the hard way! We'll go out tonight, have a girls' night out and let Kenshin stew. We could go to that new bar we wanted to check out."

"You mean Bonkers?" Megumi asked. "Yeah, let's do that! It's Ladies Night, so it'll be cheap. How about it, Kaoru?"

"Okay," Kaoru agreed reluctantly.

"So, our night's taken care of, but we have to keep Kaoru perky during the day," Misao said.

On her walk to but the paper and noodles, Kaoru had half decided that she was going to patrol the theatres on the lookout for the mythical Tomoe, but her roommates were being so kind that she felt she had to go along with their plans.

"I think we should give her a make-over," Megumi said. "Decide on the right image for her."

"Good idea," Misao said.

"That arty look was all wrong," Megumi said, turning Kaoru around as if she were a doll. "Wrong coloring for one thing."

"I see her as a sort of sixties' revival," Megumi said. "You know, little mini dress with lots of flowers and buttons."

"Oh, yeah," Misao agreed. "That would be cute."

"Just one thing, guys," Kaoru interrupted. "I have no money to get a new wardrobe."

"That's okay," Misao said. "I know great a great cheap store that specializes in vintage clothing. I'm sure they'll have something."

"Cheap store, Misao?" Megumi asked, wrinkling her nose in horror. "I've never been to a cheap store in my life."

"You can get great stuff in cheap stores," Misao said.

"I can't believe that anyone would actually like buying clothes from such stores," Megumi said. "I couldn't wear anything from there." She looked so offended that Misao winked at Kaoru and they both laughed.

"But Megumi, you know I can't afford anything else at the moment," Kaoru remarked.

"Well, if there's not other alternative, I suppose I'll come with you," Megumi said, "although be prepared to take me out of the store if I have an attack of cheap-clothesitis."

--------------------------

By four o'clock they were tired of shopping, but Kaoru was thrilled. She had a load of "new" stuff, including a flower print mini dress with a high waist and a row of pearl buttons down the bodice. Megumi offered to lend her black boots to go with it, and Misao suggested she put flowers in her hair. And when they went out that night, Kaoru was thrilled that several guys wanted to talk to her.

She was glad that she hadn't gone looking for Kenshin, until their bus passed Razzles on the way home. As she glanced inside the bar she was almost sure that she spotted him, sitting by one of the palms in the corner. Maybe he had waited for her all evening and had by now decided that she wasn't interested after all!

--------------------------

On Monday morning she wore the mini dress to work with black leggings under it.

"You look great," Yumi commented as Kaoru took off her coat. "You got plans for a big date tonight?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I wish," she said.

"So the Kenshin thing turned out to be nothing?"

"It looks that way," Kaoru said, suddenly reluctant to go into details. "But Yumi," she added as Yumi was adjusting her headphones, "if anybody called Kenshin wants to put in an ad today, I'd like to know, please."

"You think he might?"

"I´m hoping."

"If he calls, I'll pass the call to you."

"Oh, no, don't do that," Kaoru said hastily. Kenshin would definitely recognize her voice. "Just take down the details and tell me about it."

"Very good, madam," Yumi said. "I'll say, 'this is Kamiya Kaoru´s social secretary.´"

Kaoru laughed as she put on her own headset. The morning went by quietly and uneventfully. Nobody who sounded anything like Kenshin called, and by lunchtime her spirits had fallen. All day Sunday she had convinced herself that he'd call first thing on Monday morning.

You got it wrong, as usual, she told herself. You and your romantic daydreams. You just fantasized that he was in love with you and it wasn't true. Maybe Megumi and Misao were wrong, she reasoned. Maybe the truth was that Kenshin wasn't feeling guilty, he was still in love with Tomoe. Maybe he'd tried to forget her by kissing Kaoru, but it had been no use. His heart was with the woman he loved.

Kaoru's phone lit up and she threw the switch. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Personal Personals. How may I help you?" she said.

"I'd like to place an ad." A girl's voice. Light, tense, a little nervous.

Kaoru said. "Go ahead please and tell me what you want to say."

"Okay," the girl said. "This will get into Friday's edition, won't it?"

"Sure."

"That's good. Then the copy should read like this---'Kenshin---I'm fine. I don't need anyone's help. Tomoe.´"

Alarms were ringing in Kaoru's head. She couldn't believe her luck. She actually had Tomoe on the line. Tomoe was here and she didn't want Kenshin around anymore. He'd see the ad and be satisfied that Tomoe was okay and then…then he could start thinking about Kaoru!

It all sounded too good to be true. So why aren't I feeling overjoyed, she wondered.

"Are you still there?" the light voice demanded---a voice very similar to her own. Kaoru remembered the way Kenshin had reacted when he first heard her voice. It was obviously only the similarities between her and Tomoe that had attracted him to her in the first place. She reminded him of his love.

"Yes, I'm here, Kaoru said. "I was just entering the words in the computer. I've got it now. May I please have you name and address?" As she copied down the words, her brain was racing. Kenshin would go on trying to get Tomoe back until she convinced him she didn't want him anymore. I f only Kaoru could get them together, just once, then maybe they could sort things out. Of course the worst thing that could happen would be that they made up and got back together. She'd be taking a risk of losing him to Tomoe forever…But he never really was mine in the first place, she thought wistfully.

She realized she was taking another big risk when she said, "Excuse me, but the Kenshin in this ad wouldn't be Himura Kenshin, would it?"

"How did you know that?" the tight voice demanded.

"I … um happen to be a friend of his," Kaoru said, "and I know how worried he's been about you."

"He worries too much," Tomoe said, "And he always overprotected me like crazy. That's why I'm putting in the ad. To let him know that I'm okay and I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself---and to tell him to stop bugging me."

"Tomoe," Kaoru said, "look, I know I'm butting in where I probably have no right to, but I think it would mean a lot to Kenshin if you just saw him for a few minutes and told him yourself how you feel."

"No way," Tomoe said. "I'm not meeting with him and putting up with one of his lectures on how to run my life."

"But he's not like that," Kaoru said. "He told me he understood that you had to live your life you way. He really just needs to know that you're fine."

"What's it to you?" Tomoe demanded. "Are you his girlfriend or something?"

"Just a good friend," Kaoru said. "He can't get on with his life until he knows you're okay."

There was a tense silence. Then Tomoe said, "I didn't call the paper to talk to Dear Abby. I just want to place the ad, that's all."

"Okay," Kaoru said. "I'm sorry I interfered. The ad will run on Friday."

"Fine," Tomoe said. Kaoru expected her to hang up and was angry at herself that she hadn't managed to set up a meeting between Kenshin and Tomoe. Now she'd be in an agonizing position, knowing Tomoe's address and telephone number but not being able to give them to Kenshin.

"Thank you for calling Tokyo Now," Kaoru said, reverting to her business self.

"Just a minute," Tomoe said. "Before you hang up, I just wondered…."

"Yes?" Kaoru asked.

"How is he?" Tomoe said quietly. "He's okay, isn't he? I mean he's getting along fine now?"

Kaoru wasn't to let another chance slip away. "I'll really get in trouble if I chat with a client during working hours," she said, "but I'll tell you what, if you'd like to meet me at Razzles tonight, I could tell you everything I know."

There was a pause, and then Tomoe said. "I don't know. I've got to think about it. Razzles, you say?"

"Yes. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure," Tomoe said. "I know where it is all right. I just can't afford it." And she laughed. With the laugh, the tension in her voice vanished and she sounded like a young, friendly girl again.

"I'm on the same tight budget," Kaoru said.

"So why don't we choose somewhere other than Razzles?" Tomoe asked.

"But it's so convenient," Kaoru said.

"Well…okay," Tomoe said. "What did you say your name was?"

"Kaoru," she said. "And Kenshin says I look a lot like you, so you'll probably recognize me."

"I'll bet you don't look a thing like me," Tomoe said, but she sounded pretty cheerful. "Kenshin hasn't a clue about what I look like. He thinks I'm the happy little prom-goer, and never been kissed. Don't worry, though, I'm sure we'll find each other. Is eight o'clock good for you?"

"Fine. I'm looking forward to it," Kaoru said.

The line went dead. Kaoru stared at her computer screen while she pondered if she had the nerve to go ahead with the next part of her plan.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own RK.

**Author's Note: **Here's another chapter. I hope that it's as good as the others. Thanks for everyone's support.

--------------------------

Kaoru waited until Yumi went out to lunch before she called Kenshin´s home number. She'd agonized over this decision, she'd gotten all her ads messed up, and had to spend an hour straightening things out.

When she finally made the call, she prayed he wasn't home sick or something. What she wanted was a nice, anonymous answering machine.

She was in luck; she got it. The phone rang four times and then a recorded voice said, "Konnichiwa, this is Kenshin. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you'll leave your name and number and the time you called, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Arigatou. Ja na!

Even his recorded voice had the effect of scrambling her brains. How could any voice sound so sexy? She wondered. What was it about Kenshin that turned her insides to jelly?

She tried to get herself together when she heard the beep and said, hesitantly, "Hi, this is Kaoru. You won't believe it, but I've got real news about Tomoe. If you want to hear it, meet me at Razzles at eight.

When she hung up, she was shaking. Going to the bar to spy on a client was bad enough; but she'd crossed the line! She could really get in trouble now, but if everything went as planned, Kenshin would be free of Tomoe and ready to move on to a new romance.

If not, at least she would have reunited him with the woman he loved.

--------------------------

Five-thirty came around. Yumi gathered her things and put on her overcoat. "Are you coming?" she asked Kaoru.

Kaoru shook her head. "You go ahead," she said. "I just remembered something I forgot to enter in the computer."

Yumi shook her head in disbelief. "You sit there drumming your fingers all day and then, when it's time to split, you remember you haven't done something? I give up!"

Kaoru sat alone in the empty office. She knew she could leave if she wanted to. She could even go home for half an hour or so, but then she might risk running into her roommates and she'd have to explain why she was going out again. Megumi and Misao would think she was crazy trying to get the man of her dreams back with his ex-girlfriend again. They had told her to wait until he contacted her and she hadn't listened to them.

Around six-thirty, Kaoru decided to go out for something to eat. She was starving and there was a fast food restaurant at the end of the block. At least she could afford a hamburger and fries without totally blowing her budget, she decided.

She was just getting her coat when she heard the heavy tread of footsteps coming down the stairs. Who could be in the building at this time, except the janitor?

She sat there, still and tense, realizing for the first time the danger of being all alone in a large building at the night. If she screamed even the janitor might not even hear her. "Anyone here?" a voice boomed. Kaoru almost laughed with relief. It was Soujiro's voice.

Kaoru stepped out from behind the partition.

"I am," she said.

"Kaoru, what are you doing around this late?"

"I…was just finishing up some stuff," she muttered. She sure couldn't tell him she was using his electricity just to hang around after work. She waited for him to explode at her for not getting her stuff done during business hours. But he totally surprised her.

"Thank God you're here! I thought I'd really blown it this time. I didn't realize how late it was." He leaned across the desk, looking suspiciously friendly. "Do you think you can help me out? I'll pay you overtime."

What does he want? She thought. Still, she needed the money.

Soujiro continued. "Can you type?"

Kaoru almost burst into laughter. She bit back the words, about a million words a minute. What do you think you hired me for? "Sure," she said.

"I've got some important stuff here." He looked around as if making sure there weren't any spies in the place. "Really big stuff. I've been waiting for a story like this. Kickbacks from the city hall to the building industry. Okay, no big surprise, but this time I've got names, places and proof."

"All right, Soujiro, you give me the copy and I'll do the typing. We can get this to the printer ASAP.

For the next hour or so, she worked intensely, flicking through Soujiro's papers, correcting his grammar and deciphering his writing. Then she printed out the story.

Soujiro snatched up the papers, beaming at her. "Thanks a million, kid. I can't tell you how much you've helped me out, and I won't forget it. If this does what I hoped it'll do, we'll get enough advertising and P.R. to get this paper out of the red. Then you'll finally get a raise."

Kaoru was scrambling into her coat. She'd believe that when she saw the paycheck.

"Listen," Soujiro said companionable, "you want to come down to the print shop with me and then I'll treat you to dinner?"

"I'd like to," Kaoru said, "but I'm already kind of late for an appointment."

"I'm sorry," Soujiro said. "You had a date and I've screwed up your evening."

"Oh, no. It's okay," Kaoru said. "I'm glad I could help out."

"You did a great job, too," Soujiro said, "Go ahead and enjoy your evening. Take a taxi and charge it to Expenses."

"Thanks," Kaoru said. "I've got to run. Bye, Soujiro. Good luck with getting the story in."

She fled down the stairs and out into the darkness. With any luck she would make it by eight. Maybe this was her lucky day after all. Tomoe had called; she was going to see Kenshin again. She just hoped it would end the way she wanted it to.

Razzles was not too crowded on Monday evenings. Kaoru stood in the doorway, looking around expectantly. There was nobody who could be Tomoe, and there was no Kenshin, either. She experienced a moment's panic. They had already met and left without her!

Yahiko was working the bar. He came out to collect dirty glasses and almost did a double take when she saw her. "Hi, Kaoru," he said. "It really is you. How about that. What are you doing here?"

"I'm...supposed to meet a couple of friends here," she said. "I don't see them yet."

Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "Mixing with the fast crowd now? Seems like little Kaoru is growing up." He snared a last glass with his pinkie. "See you later, maybe," he said.

She was watching Yahiko make his way back to the bar when she felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. Kenshin was standing there, breathing heavily as if he had been running.

"Hi," he said. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. Damn taxi decided to take a shortcut and we got stuck in a traffic jam behind a broken-down bud."

"Oh, no," she said, thinking how wonderful he looked with his hair blown every which way and his coat flapping open. "I just got here myself."

"I'm so glad I went home after work," he said, "or I wouldn't have gotten your message in time. You want to sit down and have a drink? Is your news something to celebrate?"

"It may be," she said.

He looked at her face and he actually blushed. "Look, I'm sorry about the other night," he said. "It just wasn't a good time…I mean I couldn't handle that sort of relationship right now. I hope you weren't too mad at me."

"It's okay," she said. "I guess I understand what you're going through and that you've got to sort this Tomoe thing out first."

"Exactly," he said. "I know you're really nothing like her, but I still couldn't help feeling---" He broke off, shrugging his silence. "Let's sit and order a drink okay?"

He ushered toward a table in a corner.

"Oh, not that one," Kaoru said. How about here?"

"If you want," Kenshin said, looking surprised. "Only, we're going to get jostled by everyone who comes in."

Precisely, Kaoru thought. She didn't want to risk not seeing Tomoe arrive. She hoped Tomoe wouldn't freak out at the last minute and not show up. If she didn't, Kaoru would have to tell Kenshin how she got her information and that might make him mad at her. He might demand to have Tomoe's address and phone number and she couldn't give them to him, could she? She remembered how intimidating he had been before when he was angry. She certainly didn't want to go through that again. She began to wish she had never thought up this crazy scheme.

But then I'd never have been with Kenshin this evening, she thought. Every minute with him is worth any amount of risk.

Kenshin hailed a passing waitress and ordered a bottle of champagne.

"I don't know if my news is that good," Kaoru said cautiously.

"If your news is that she's alive and safe and well, then that's good enough for me," he said.

This was it, the moment she had been dreading. She was going to have to tell him the truth. "Well," she began, "as you know, I work for Tokyo Now."

"So you used your nose for news in the search," he said, smiling at her hopefully. When he smiled, his eyes still flashed in that magic way, making Kaoru think that he still felt something for her, no matter what he said or how he acted.

"Not exactly," she said. "You see, this ad came in to out personal ad department and the caller's name was Tomoe and---"

She broke off because Kenshin was staring past her, at the doorway. Standing between the two potted palms was a lovely girl dressed head to toe in black. She was wearing a long black skirt, high black boots, a black cape and a shapeless black hat on her hand. Kaoru could immediately see that there was a slight resemblance to herself, although her skin didn't have Kaoru's healthy glow to it. But their hair was both black and long.

The girl looked around impatiently. She was wearing red lipstick which emphasized her pout. Then she spotted Kaoru and came toward her. "Hi," she said. "You must be Kaoru, although I can't say that we look much alike. Only Kenshin would think such a dumb thing, but he hasn't seen me for a while."

Suddenly she was aware of him. She took a step away from the table.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. What else?" Kenshin said. "I had no idea Kaoru was actually going to find you. Kaoru, you're a miracle worker."

"Kaoru, you're a sneak," Tomoe said, pushing back her hair savagely from her face. "How could you trick me when I told you I didn't want to see him?"

"Look I know what you said, but I just thought---"

Kenshin interrupted. "She knew I've been going crazy searching all over for you. I mean, didn't you see my ad?"

"Sure I did," Tomoe said. "I just didn't want to answer it. I'm a new person, Kenshin. I'm starting a new life, entirely on my own and I'm doing just fine."

"You don't look like you're doing fine at all," he said. "When did you start dressing like that?"

"I happen to think I look good. So do lots of other people," Tomoe said.

"But it's not you."

"How do you know what's me and what's not?" she yelled. "You don't know me at all. You've been too busy playing Mr. Executive in Tokyo while I was stuck at home with that monster, and you just left me there."

"It wasn't going to be for much longer," Kenshin said gently . "We agreed, you'd come to Tokyo as soon as you finished college. You weren't supposed to quit with only one semester left."

"I couldn't take it another minute," Tomoe said. "You should have known that."

"Didn't it occur to you that I've been worried about you?" he demanded.

"Oh, big deal," Tomoe said.

"It's true, Tomoe," Kaoru added. "He hasn't been able to think about anything else except finding you again."

Tomoe eyed her with cold blue eyes. "Look, Dear Abby, or whoever you are, stay out of my life. I don't need your help. Next time if I place an ad, just put the ad in as I've given it to you and mind your own business."

"What do you mean?" Kenshin demanded.

"I just tried to put an ad in this morning, telling you I was okay," she said. "But Mother Theresa here wanted to do more than type ads, so she persuaded me to come down here tonight to tell me how you're doing these days."

Kenshin was staring at Kaoru. "You're the ad taker? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kaoru nodded, feeling miserable. The whole world was ganging up on her. She didn't even have a chance to answer because Tomoe went on. "So now I hope you're all satisfied. You wanted to see that I'm fine. Well, I'm here, and you can see help, and now I'm going. Okay? Bye."

Kenshin jumped up. "Hold on, Tomoe, you can't just leave like this. You and I have to talk. Sit down."

He grabbed her arm.

"Let me go, Kenshin," she said, wrenching her arm free. "I don't wan to talk to you. I know what you'll try and it won't work this time. I just want to be left alone."

She started to push her way out of the door. Kenshin looked after her, then back at Kaoru, not knowing what to do next. "I can't let her go now," he said. "I have to straighten things out." He touched Kaoru´s shoulder. "Wait here for me, will you? I'll be back as soon as I can."

The waitress arrived with the champagne as Kenshin ran out of the door. Kaoru looked after him. "You better wait awhile before you open that," she said. "I don't think we're going to be celebrating tonight."

**TBC**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own RK.

**Authors Note: **This chapter is not too long. But I hope that you guys will still like it. Thanks again for all your support! (-o-)

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Kaoru waited. The waitress took away the champagne. People came and went. She ordered a drink and sipped it slowly to make it last.

She felt exposed sitting at a table so close to the doorway, but the other tables were all filled up. She felt as if everyone in the bar were staring at her, noticing that she was sitting all alone and out of place.

She opened her purse and took out her date book, trying to look as if she was checking on important appointments and had plenty of things to keep her busy. She even resorted to her old watch-checking trick, to let everyone know that she was waiting for somebody. Kaoru wished she knew what was going on. Had Kenshin taken Tomoe home? Were they still fighting? Had they made up? It was clear to Kaoru, even through their fighting words that they still cared for each other. At last it dawned on her that he wasn't going to come back. She had taken a gamble and she had lost. Kenshin and Tomoe were together again, working at patching up a relationship that had gone on for years.

Kaoru stared sadly around the room. In one corner a couple stood very close together, their faces only inches apart as the man gazed into the girl's eyes. They were not talking, just gazing as if they could read each other's thoughts. As Kaoru watched, the girl took the cherry from her drink and popped it into the guy's mouth with a little smile.

Kaoru felt her heart wrench with pain. She had always envied couples in love, but until now she had never experienced the feeling for herself. Now she knew that she had lost and it hurt even more. Was she destined never to have someone stand beside her and look at her like that? Was Kenshin right now gazing into Tomoe's eyes and telling her that he loved her?

Kaoru tore her paper napkin methodically into shreds.

It's my own fault, she told herself. I brought all this trouble on myself. I should never have fallen for Kenshin's voice in the first place. I should have known from the first ad that he wanted somebody else and could never be interested in me. I was just fooling myself.

"Hey there, bright eyes," said a voice close to her. Kaoru started and looked up to see Yahiko, clearing tables. "Is Cinderella sitting all alone? Prince Charming didn't turn up?"

Kaoru flushed. It wasn't easy to admit that she'd been dumped. "He turned up, but he went home with one of the ugly sisters," she said.

Yahiko gave her a sympathizing smile. "Happens all the time in places like this," he said. He put a protective hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I don't like the thought of you going home alone this late. I get off work in half an hour. If you want to stick around, I'll bring you home."

"Oh, thanks," Kaoru mumbled. Kindness was bringing tears to the back of her eyes. She really didn't want to cry here.

He picked up her glass. "I'll bring you something on the house. Only, don't let the boss see."

He went away and came back a few minutes later with a steaming glass of amber liquid. "It's Frangelico," he said.

"It's what?" The sweet herby smell had reached Kaoru's nostrils.

"A liqueur, made by monks, who know a lot about booze," he said. "We serve it hot in winter. Okay, it's not so trendy, but get that down you and you'll feel a whole lot better. Then I'll walk you home and you can get some sleep."

Kaoru smiled. "Thanks, Yahiko," she said.

Yahiko shrugged. "No problem. I'll come get you in about half an hour."

Kaoru sipped her drink slowly. It was hot and sweet and she felt its power warming up her entire body as it relaxed the tension in her neck and back. She watched the doorway, however, half hoping at the last moment that Kenshin would appear again, breathless and apologetic. But a half hour later Yahiko showed up wearing his black leather jacket.

"Ready to split?" he asked.

Kaoru nodded and got to her feet. "Yeah, let's go," she said. She prayed that Kenshin would arrive just as she was leaving with another guy. If he did, she'd be strong and pretend she didn't see him. She wanted him to feel hurt and confused, the way she was feeling right now. She wanted him to suffer and to realize what he had lost.

"So what to you think of Razzles?" Yahiko asked as they walked together.

"It's very cool," Kaoru said, but I feel like a total hick when I'm there."

Yahiko nodded. "It's pretty trendy all right. People come to be seen, you know?"

Yahiko commented, "You know, you don't come here much. I've never seen you around without Megumi or Misao. What are you doing? Spreading your wings a little?"

"Yes, but it's tough. It's like everyone else is playing a game, but they know the rules and I don't."

"Well, maybe you should never learn. You're fine just the way you are."

"Oh, please," she said. "I'm dying to shake the country dirt off my shoes. Nobody even notices me the way I am. I can be in a crowd and totally invisible."

"Well, I notice you," he said. "And I like you the way you are."

They walked side by side through the dark, empty streets until they got to their building. There was no sign of life as they stood in the cold lobby, waiting for the elevator.

"Don't tell me," Yahiko said. "Out of order---again. And no sign."

"I don't even bother trying anymore. I just take it for granted it's broken and I climb the stairs. It's good for you to do the walking. Come on." The hot liqueur was still working inside her and she felt warm and comfortable. She was going to hate herself in the morning, though.

"Okay, let's get healthy hearts. We don't have any choice," Yahiko said with a friendly slap on her back.

"Last one up the stairs is a rotten egg," Kaoru said playfully and began to hurry. Yahiko scrambled beside her and they were elbowing and giggling like kids. They reached their floor, both breathing heavily.

Kaoru edged past him as he put his key in his lock. "Well, thanks for everything, Yahiko."

Yahiko touched her arm. "Cheer up," he said. "I saw what happened with that guy leaving and all. There are plenty of men in Chicago, and I'm sure you'll find the right one soon."

"Oh, you think so?" Kaoru sighed. "Sometimes I wonder." And with that she went inside and fell into bed.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own RK.

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for reviewing and for all the support you have shown me and my fanfic.

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It had been a long, uneventful day at work. Kaoru had half hoped that Kenshin would call to explain why he hadn't come back. Surely any nice guy would want to apologize for leaving a girl all alone. Maybe Kenshin wasn't a nice guy after all.

"I've decided," she told Yumi, "from now on I'm going to play it safe. I'm through with taking risks! No more impulsive rushing off to meet unknown men with sexy voices."

"Am I glad to hear that," Yumi said. "You don't know how worried I've been about you. Thank God that this Kenshin person has found who he was looking for and is now going to leave you be."

"I guess," Kaoru said sadly.

"He's had you on an emotional roller coaster, Kaoru," Yumi said. "You've been a nervous wreck since this whole thing started."

Kaoru nodded. That was true, but she'd also experienced moments of elation like she'd never known before. The whole thing had been worth it just for that one walk with Kenshin and for those few precious minutes of his lips against hers. She knew she'd treasure that memory forever.

"And I take it you're not going to Razzles tonight?"

"Never again! That place is off-limits to me forever."

The phone line buzzed and lit up. "I'll get it," Kaoru said since Yumi was already half out of her seat.

"It's okay. I'll take this call," Yumi said. She sat down again and adjusted her headphones. Kaoru heard her say, "Oh. Uh-huh...uh-huh. I see. No I can't give out her address. I'm sorry. All I can do is put the ad in and you can see what happens. Look…I'm sorry. I can only do my job. Right. Goodbye."

"Who was that?" Kaoru said curiously.

"That no-good weasel Kenshin," Yumi said.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru squealed. "Kenshin was on the phone and you didn't let me talk to him?"

"I thought you said you were through with getting involved with sexy voices," Yumi said. "That guy is no good for you, Kaoru. He leads you on, and then stands you up until you don't know what's happening to you. Just forget about him, please."

"But what did he say, Yumi?" Kaoru demanded.

"He wanted you home address, but I wouldn't give it to him. So he said he wanted to place an ad."

"And what does the ad say?" Kaoru was almost shouting now.

Yumi handed her the page from her notepad. "Don't believe a word of it," she said.

Kaoru read: "To the most beautiful ad taker in Tokyo. I'm crazy about you. Meet me at Razzles and I'll explain everything."

"Sure he'll explain everything," Yumi said coldly. "It's pretty clear that Tomoe has dumped him again and now he's going to try to sweet-talk his way into getting back with you." She looked at Kaoru. "Are you listening to a word I've been saying?" she demanded.

Kaoru was sitting there with a faraway smile in her face. The words I am crazy about you danced in front of her eyes.

"You're not thinking of meeting him, are you?"

"Oh, no," Kaoru said. "I'm going to call him at home tonight. I couldn't possibly wait till the paper comes out tomorrow."

Yumi picked up her purse. "I have to get out of here," she said. "I can't stand another minute. You have to do what you think is right, but I'm telling you, child, I think you're making the mistake of your life."

"I have to give him a chance to explain. If I don't like what he has to say, then I promise I'll forget about him."

Yumi was still shaking her head as she walked out. Kaoru hurried to get her desk in order and to switch off the computers. Then she grabbed her coat and scarf and followed Yumi out into the evening twilight. She wondered what she should say to him on the phone all the way home. As little as possible before he explained to her, she decided. She'd just say that she saw his ad and she wanted to meet him right away. Yes, that would do fine.

When she got home, the first thing she saw was Megumi on the phone in the front hall. Kaoru went through to her room, trying not to show her impatience. She took off her coat and hung it up.

Finally the phone was slammed down and Kaoru appeared in time to see Megumi stalking toward the kitchen. "Ugh, men," she said, opening the fridge and getting out a diet cola. "I've just spent half an hour trying to get rid of the most boring guy in Tokyo. He started talking to me at the gift shop and I made a mistake of answering him when he spoke. He weaseled my number out of someone else at work and now he wants me to go to an exhibition of Asian Art with him. I have a boyfriend and I'd rather have a root canal than hurt him!"

At that moment Misao came in, throwing down her heavy bag in the front hall. "I don't believe it," she said. "Someone is going to have to pass a law eliminating men from this city."

"Not you, too?" Megumi asked. "What happened?"

"Some guy tried to pick me up on the bus," Misao said. "He started by pinching my rear end! I've had enough. I think we should turn this place into a convent."

"Good idea," Megumi said. "Nuns always look so elegant in those habits. Gray and white I think, with one of those veils that turn up at the sides."

"Are you ready to take your vows, Kaoru?" Misao asked.

"Not just yet," Kaoru said. "Ask me by the end of the evening. Right now I have to make a phone call."

She went to the phone and dialed Kenshin's number. It rang until Kenshin's answering machine picked up. Kaoru put the phone down in disappointment. She didn't want to talk to a machine. She wanted to talk to him in person. It looked as if she were going to have to wait for tomorrow night after all. And where was he tonight, she wondered? Did a lovesick guy go out on the town? All of her doubts about him resurfaced. Was she being stupid not to take Yumi's advice and pretend she never say the new ad? Her life would definitely be less stressful if there was no Kenshin in it...

Megumi was already clowning around with a white dinner napkin as a nun's veil, making Misao laugh. Kaoru looked at them fondly. At least she had the two of them and a place here where she belonged. That was a good start.

The doorbell rang. Megumi whipped the veil off her head and went to answer the door. Then Kaoru heard her surprised voice. "Kaoru? You want to see Kaoru? Okay, I suppose you better come on in."

She came back down the hall into the kitchen. "Oh, Kaoru, honey," she called in a sweet voice. "Someone here to see you."

"Kenshin!" Kaoru gasped. "How did you find me here?"

"I went over to your office and I followed you home. I've been downstairs for the past ten minutes trying to get the nerve to come up here. So how about it? Are you willing to give me the chance to explain myself? I feel so terrible about last night---please don't say no."

Kaoru tried not to look too delighted. "Well...okay, I guess," she said. "I'll get my coat."

As she came out of her room again, she saw two pairs of eyes, open very wide, watching her and Kenshin.

"Oh, Kenshin, these are my roommates, Megumi and Misao," she said brightly.

"Glad to meet you, Kenshin," Megumi said.

"Oh, so you're Kenshin. We've heard a lot about you," Misao added.

Kaoru grinned as Kenshin escorted her out. "They worry about me," she said.

"Then their worries are over," Kenshin said.

"What about Tomoe?" Kaoru blurted out.

"I tried to take care of her," he said. "I always tried my best but it wasn't easy." They reached the end of the hallway. Kenshin pressed the elevator button before Kaoru could say that it never worked, and, miraculously, there was the sound of movement behind the steel doors. "I had a tough time with her last night," Kenshin said. "I felt terrible about leaving you there, but I didn't leave Tomoe until after midnight."

"Oh, I see," Kaoru said frostily.

"No, you don't see," Kenshin insisted, "because you don't know what she's like. She has…problems, Kaoru. Problems that you couldn't dream about. She's been through a very difficult time the last few years and I've been the only one who was there for her."

The elevator arrived. The doors opened and they stepped in. Kaoru was conscious of Kenshin's closeness in the confined space. She could feel the fresh scent of his cologne and the rough fabric of his sleeve against her hand.

"Ever since she was a little kid, she was difficult," he said. "I had the hardest time trying to keep her away from the wrong kids."

"You've known her that long?" Kaoru said.

Kenshin looked surprised. "What do you mean, 'that long´?" he asked. I've known her since the day she was born."

"The day she was b-born!" Kaoru stammered. This whole thing was definitely getting weird.

Realization began to dawn on Kenshin. "Wait," he said, "you didn't know she's my sister?"

"Your sister?" The words echoed back from the steel walls of the elevator. "Tomoe is your sister?"

Kenshin started to laugh. "I thought you knew. I thought I made it clear from the beginning…I was calling my parents when you first overheard me."

"No," Kaoru said slowly. "I didn't know. I thought she was your girlfriend."

"My girlfriend?" Kenshin said. "God no. I'd never date anyone like her. She'd drive me crazy. It's bad enough she's related."

They stepped out into the fresh air. It was a cold night but stars were peeping between the buildings. The air smelled fresh. Kaoru wanted to dance down the street, to run, to shout, and to jump for joy.

"I can't believe it," Kaoru said, gazing up at him adoringly. "I thought you were searching for the love of your life. I thought I'd never have a chance with you. I thought that was why you pushed me into that taxi and ran off---because you were still thinking of her."

"I was, in a way," Kenshin said. "I want to apologize about behaving so stupidly that time, too, but you don't know the effect you were having on me. One side of me wanted to go on kissing you and the other kept reminding me I should be thinking about finding Tomoe. And then you turned your head and looked up at me---she does exactly the same thing! Suddenly it seemed wrong, like I was kissing my sister."

Kaoru was still gazing steadily at him. "Do you still feel that way about me?" she asked gently. "Will you always see me as a little sister?"

Kenshin reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. Then he drew her toward him. "Kamiya Kaoru," he said in a husky voice. "I can assure you that any thoughts I'm having about you right now are very unbrotherly!" Then he kissed her right there on the busy downtown street. People hurrying home from work had to walk around them, but Kaoru didn't even notice.

Kenshin was the first to break apart, but his arms remained around her. "Every time we've met so far, I've behaved badly and had to end up apologizing to you," he said. "Do you think you could give me one more chance to prove to you that I'm usually a normal, fun-loving guy who's not weird?"

"I think I could take that chance," Kaoru said softly.

"In which case," Kenshin said, his voice still husky, "I think we'd better get a taxi to Seijuro's right away, or we'll be so involved with other things that we'll completely forget about dinner tonight."

He stepped out into the street and flagged down a passing taxi with an expert wave of his hand.

**TBC**

**Author's Note: **So what did you guys think? Were you surprise or what? This is one of my favorite chapters. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. Till next week. Ja ne!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own RK.

**Author's Note: **Well, here's the final chapter. I'm sorry it's a day late. Gomen nasai! I hope that you guys like it and thinks it's worth the wait. (-o-)

--------------------------

Seijuro's seemed just as warm and welcoming as it had been the first time they ate there, but Kaoru would have been equally happy if the taxi ride had gone on forever. Sitting in the snug darkness with Kenshin's arm around her and her head on his shoulder was as near to true contentment as she had ever come in her life.

From time to time she turned her face to look up at him, as if she were afraid he might be yet another fantasy who would vanish in a puff of smoke. And each time she looked at him, he bent to kiss her gently on the forehead.

Now they were seated at an intimate table in the corner again.

"So what happened to Tomoe?" Kaoru asked. "Why do you feel so responsible for her?"

"I've always taken care of her, right from the start," Kenshin said, staring at the goblet of red wine in his hands. "Our mother died when she was three and I was six. Our father was hurting so much, he didn't seem to notice that we were hurting, too. He just shut himself away and left us to get on with life. Tomoe was getting pretty rebellious---always in trouble---and I always bailed her out. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now I'm not so sure.

"Anyway, Dad remarried and things got worse instead of better. Tomoe and out stepmother, Hikaru, just rubbed each other the wrong way. It was no one's fault, not really, but they didn't get along, I felt stuck in the middle, and Dad had no clue what to do. He couldn't win.

"Tomoe developed an eating disorder and things got really messy. We finally got her to a doctor, and she started doing better. Hikaru tried to get her into family counseling, but Tomoe refused, and by then she was old enough to do what she wanted where that was concerned.

"Anyway, she was supposed to live at home until she got out of college, but then she skipped out with only a semester to go. And the other night I could tell she wasn't eating---again. We had a huge fight, but then she started crying, telling me how scared and out of control she was. I promised I'd help her to get back into treatment. But she's got to learn to deal with her own life, too. I know now I haven't let her grow up---I've always rescued her and that's probably done her more harm than good."

Kaoru didn't take her eyes from him once he started talking. Now she reached across the tablecloth and put her hand over his. "Stop hitting yourself on the head. You've been a great brother. She's lucky to have you. Anyway, we can only get over our mistakes---you know, what's done is done."

He looked up and smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I'm glad you understand. I was scared I'd lost you forever. Because I didn't get that chance to explain."

"I have some explaining to do, too, since this is confession time. Tomoe started to tell you last night---I was the person you talked to when you put that first ad in. We're not supposed to get involved with the clients, but I…I fell in love with your voice. I just had to meet you. It was me the second tome you called, too. Can you forgive me for all the lies?"

"Only if you promised me one thing."

"What's that?"

"That you'll never fall in love with any more strange voices."

"I promise," she said.

"One more thing, Kaoru," he said. "Why was it so important to let me think that you were a reporter? I did a whole lot of crazy jobs, and I'm not ashamed of any of them."

"I just wanted you to like me, I suppose," she said. "And it's my dream. That's why I accept such crummy wages working on a newspaper. I want to be in the right place for my big break."

"I'm sure it will come sometime soon," Kenshin said. "You just have to keep on pestering them until they give you a chance. That's what I did. I started off in the mail room and every time I took the mail around, I dropped off another idea to the creative department until they agreed to hire me.

"I can see it all," Kenshin went on. "You'll be a top reporter soon and then you can take me out to dinner."

"Okay, it's a deal," she said, laughing.

Kenshin raised his glass. "To the future," he said.

Kaoru touched her glass against his. "To the future," she whispered. His presence, the soft lights and the wine were beginning to work their magic on her, spreading a glow through her whole body.

This can't be happening to me, she kept telling herself. Little Kamiya Kaoru from Atami with sophisticated Himura Kenshin at a chic restaurant. If only the people from home could see her now!

Every time Kaoru looked up, she saw Kenshin's smoldering gaze. The way he looked at her did strange things to her stomach. Never before has she realized that a glance could be so intimate. They finished the meal with tea and Kaoru slipped into a mellow haze of contentment.

This time Kenshin didn't suggest walking back. "I guess your roommates will still be at your place, won't they?" he said, as he looked for and flagged down a taxi. "In which case it makes sense to go to mine. Besides, my apartment is closer anyway."

Kaoru agreed, but her head was filled with confusion. The taxi sped through the street, and she wondered just what she wanted from Kenshin. She wanted to kiss him, to hold him close, but just how far was she prepared to go?

He was desirable, and she had strong feelings for him, but she had to remind herself that, really, he was still a stranger to her. She didn't want to get too involved too fast. Would he want to have sex? And was she ready to have it?

"I just hope I'm making the right decision," she thought.

The taxi pulled up outside Kenshin's apartment building. It was tall and modern with a revolving glass door in front. Kaoru blinked as they stepped into the brightly lit foyer. The elevator had carpeted walls and slid noiselessly upward. Kenshin put his arms around her and they exchanged a quick kiss between floors.

On the seventh floor, Kenshin ushered her out into a carpeted hallway. The whole place was a direct contrast to Kaoru's building. Obviously Kenshin was doing pretty well financially.

He turned the key in his lock and stepped inside to flick on the light. There was a bookcase taking up one whole wall, a TV and a leather sofa. Otherwise the room was empty.

Kenshin gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry about the lack of furniture," he said. "I decided only to buy good stuff, so I'm acquiring little by little. The bedroom's almost finished. I worked on that first."

Kaoru returned his smile with a nervous grin. "You have a lovely view," she said and walked across to the window.

"The view's better from the higher floors," Kenshin sad, "but those rents are sky-high. Maybe when I pull in the advertising deal of my life and sign up a big account, I'll be able to move up a little."

"It's very nice here," Kaoru said. "I think it's very elegant.

"I'll show you the rest of it," Kenshin said. He led her through to the kitchen, flicking on the light as he went in. Even the kitchen was neat, and there was a breakfast nook by the window. Then he opened another door. "And this is the famous bedroom," he said.

It was a very masculine room---and it housed a colonial-style pine queen-size bed. There was a matching chest along one wall and a business suit was draped over a leather chair.

"It's very nice," Kaoru said again, because she felt she was expected to say something. She walked out again into the bright light of the living room. Kenshin followed her. "What sort of music do you like?" he asked.

"You choose," Kaoru said.

"I listen to the light rock station all the time," he said, switching it on.

Kenshin turned the volume down low and then he turned off the light so that the city lights twinkled in through the picture windows. Kaoru jumped at Kenshin's touch on her shoulders as he came to stand behind her. "Here, let me take you coat," he said, slipping it off effortlessly. "There, that's better. Come on, sit down and relax." He sat on the sofa and patted the space beside him. "For the first time we are going to have a normal date---nothing strange happening, no one running away, freaking out or anything like that… Just you and me and the lights of Tokyo shining in through the window."

He took her chin in his fingers and very gently he drew her face toward him, following this with the most delicate of kisses. It was a mere brushing of the lips but it made Kaoru tingle all over. Immediately he pulled away to look at her, a smile dancing in his eyes. "And are you glad you were curious about that ad, Kamiya Kaoru? You said you wanted to see a happy ending. Do you think this qualifies?"

"I think it does," Kaoru said. "It's a better ending than I ever imagined could happen to me."

"Now that I've had time to study you all evening," Kenshin whispered, "you don't look anything at all like my little sister, Tomoe."

This time his kiss was no gentle brushing of lips. He crushed her to him, his tongue forcing deep into her mouth until she gave a little moan of desire. His hands moved down from her shoulders and lingered over her breasts. As he kissed her, he skillfully began to unbutton her blouse. She shuddered under the touch of his cold fingers against the warmth of her flesh inside her bra.

He felt her reaction. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I guess my hands are cold, but I promise you I'm going to warm up in a hurry." He was unfastening her bra now. It came undone and his hands cupped her breasts.

"Oh, Kaoru," he murmured. "This is so right." His lips left hers and began to move down her neck, down her chest and across her right breast. Kaoru lay back in a red haze of desire. She hadn't realized that such intensity of feeling could exist. It was as if Kenshin were playing her body like a well-tuned instrument.

She wanted him desperately, but at the same time a little voice of warning kept nagging in her head. This was too much too soon. She knew that any second now she'd be out of control, unable to stop herself, and that she'd regret it if she went on.

"Kenshin, no, please," she said, pushing his head back away from her.

He looked up. "What's wrong?" he murmured.

"I'm……..just not ready for this yet," she stammered. "I'm sorry, but I hardly know you. You may think I'm stupid and backward, but I know how you're making me feel right now and I'm not ready for this sort of thing." She started fumbling with her blouse buttons, trying to do them again.

"I shouldn't have let you get started, I know that," she said, "but I really wanted you to kiss me again. I wanted all the other stuff too…don't get me wrong. But I don't want to do something I might regret later. Do you understand?"

"You wouldn't regret it Kaoru," he said. "I'm not the sort of guy who goes for one-night stands. I have to feel something for a girl before I want to get close to her, and what I'm feeling for you right now is pretty intense. But I'll try to understand. If you want to wait awhile, until we know each other better, then that's okay with me, too. I'll try and be patient and take plenty of cold showers, okay?"

Kaoru laughed with relief. He was a nice guy after all. She had trusted her instincts and they weren't wrong. He did care for her, and everything was going to be just great.

She got up, unsteadily. "Maybe I should go before you get any more ideas," she said.

He got up, too, and took her hand. "Kaoru, you can trust me," he said. "I'd never try to force you to do anything you weren't ready for. I want you to like me, and maybe even love me, one day."

He took her face in his hands. "We can spend all the time in the world getting to know each other better." He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Come on, Kamiya Kaoru. I'd better take you home."

**THE END!**

**Author's Note: **So what did you guys think? I hope that you guys liked it. Thank you for continuing to read it to the last chapter. You guys are the best! (-o-)


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